Travel Plug & Voltage Decode

Will it fit? Will it blow? Know the infrastructure before you connect.

TYPE G
Requires an adapter configuration
🔌 Sockets
Types A & B
âš¡ Voltage
230 V
🔄 Frequency
50 Hz

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What this tool does

Pick where you're going to see its socket types, mains voltage and frequency. Add where you're coming from, and the tool also tells you whether you need a plug adapter, a voltage converter, or neither.

Adapter or converter?

  • A plug adapter only changes the shape of the plug. It does nothing to the voltage.
  • A voltage converter (or transformer) changes the voltage. You need one only for single-voltage devices.

Check the label on each charger or device:

  • "INPUT: 100-240V ~ 50/60Hz" means it works anywhere and needs only an adapter. Most phone, laptop and camera chargers are like this.
  • A single voltage, such as "120V" or "230V", means it needs a converter in a country with the other voltage, or a dual-voltage replacement.

Why a 120 V device can fail on 230 V

Twice the voltage pushes about twice the current through a device, so a heating element makes about four times its rated power. A 1,500 W hair dryer built for 120 V would try to draw about 5,500 W on 230 V, and can burn out in seconds or start a fire. The other way round, a 230 V kettle on 120 V gets only about a quarter of its power and barely warms up.

Does 50 Hz or 60 Hz matter?

Not for chargers. Clocks that keep time from the mains, and some motors, can run slow or hot on the other frequency. Japan is split: the east (Tokyo) runs at 50 Hz and the west (Osaka) at 60 Hz.

Plug types at a glance

  • A: two flat pins (US, Canada, Mexico, Japan). B: the same plus a round ground pin.
  • C: two round pins, no ground (the "Europlug"). Fits most sockets in continental Europe and South Korea.
  • E (France) and F (Germany, Spain, South Korea): two round pins with a ground. Most modern plugs are a hybrid "E/F" that fits both.
  • G: three rectangular pins (UK).
  • I: two angled flat pins plus a ground (Australia, New Zealand, China).
  • L: three round pins in a row (Italy).
  • O: three round pins (Thailand).

Frequently asked questions

Will my US devices work in Japan?

Usually. The plugs fit, though a polarized plug (one blade wider than the other) may not go into older two-slot outlets; a cheap adapter fixes that. At 100 V, most 120 V devices work, and heaters run a little weaker.

Can I bring a power strip?

Only one rated for the local voltage. A US power strip rated for 125 V shouldn't be plugged into a 230 V socket, even if everything plugged into it is dual-voltage.

Is the voltage always exact?

No. The figure shown is the nominal voltage; real mains voltage varies a little, which devices are designed to handle.

Related tools: Tip or Skip? and Unit Converter.

Sources: International Electrotechnical Commission, World Plugs; U.S. International Trade Administration, Electric Current Worldwide; WorldStandards, Plug, socket & voltage by country. Last reviewed on SuiteWebTools: October 2026.