1.
bottle cap; bottle lid
The cap or lid that seals a bottle — whether a twist-off plastic cap on a PET bottle, a metal crown cap on a beer bottle, or a screw-top lid on a glass jar. A general term covering all types of bottle closures.
瓶蓋が固い。
The bottle cap is tight.
瓶蓋を開けてくれる？
Can you open the bottle cap for me?
子供が誤って瓶蓋を飲み込まないように注意してください。
Please be careful that children don't accidentally swallow the bottle cap.
Compound of 瓶 ('bottle') and 蓋 ('lid; cover'), with {ふた} shifting to {ぶた} by rendaku. A general-purpose word for any type of bottle closure, from beer-bottle crown caps to water-bottle screw tops.
USAGE:
- Often appears in everyday contexts such as asking someone to open a stuck cap, or in childproofing and recycling instructions.
- In recycling, plastic caps are usually separated from glass or PET bottles before disposal — so the word appears in garbage-sorting guides.
- The verb 開ける ('to open') is most common; 外す ('to remove') and 閉める ('to close / tighten') also occur.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 瓶蓋を開ける: to open a bottle cap
- 瓶蓋を閉める: to close / tighten a bottle cap
- 瓶蓋を外す: to remove the bottle cap
- 瓶蓋が固い: the cap is tight
- 瓶蓋が開かない: the cap won't open
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 王冠: crown cap — specifically the toothed metal cap on beer and soda bottles; also means 'crown' (as worn by royalty).
- キャップ: cap — loanword used especially for screw-on plastic caps on PET bottles.
- 栓: stopper; plug — covers cork stoppers and similar non-screw closures on wine or sake bottles.
- 蓋: lid — general term for any lid or cover, not limited to bottles.
- ボトルキャップ: bottle cap — katakana equivalent, common in product descriptions and marketing.