Electric vs. electronic

Hi everyone, this is something I have explained to students many times in my lessons but for those of you who missed it I will now talk about it online ^_^

In Japanese, denki 電気 is often used to mean electronic or electric. But in English there IS a difference between the two~!

electric: Of, relating to, producing, or operated by electricity meaning it is powered by electricity.

electronic: (of a device, circuit, or system) containing transistors, silicon chips, etc., which control the current passing through it meaning it has a computer in it.

So for example a denki jisho 電気辞書, is NOT an electric dictionary~!

An electric dictionary would be a dictionary that has a motor, you push a button and it opens automatically. It is an ELECTRONIC dictionary meaning it is a dictionary on a mini-computer.

To help you remember think of electric as older technology, 1970s style. An electric organ, an electric blanket, an electric keyboard, an electric guitar, etc. They USE electricity but are pretty simple devices with no high tech features.

Electronic is newer technology, it is high tech and with a computer inside it it can have many many features. An electronic keyboard, an electronic lock, an electronic dictionary, an electronic organizer, etc.

Two good examples are:

An electric clock, this means a battery powers the clock but it is the simple two hands clock.

An electronic clock, this means there is a computer inside. It is usually called a digital clock because it has a digital display.

An electric keyboard, this was invented in the 1970s and was a piano keyboard that was easy to bring with you, you plug it in, connect the speakers and play. That's it, there were no other functions.

An electronic keyboard, in the 1980s they added a computer to the keyboard giving them many new features, pre-programmed beats, recording functions, etc.

I hope this helped~!

I work for an electronicS company.
Means my company makes electronic goods.

I work for the electric company.
Means I work for the power company, we make electricity~!

Phil