Inorganic core-shell nanoparticles have widely been used in engineering, however, the overall effect of the shell layer on the electrical properties has not been intensely investigated. In this study, we examine the electrical properties of inorganic core-shell nanoparticles with different shell layers using AC-impedance spectroscopy combined with a conductive scanning probe microscope (c-SPM). Three model core-shell nanoparticles, Se@MSe (M: Ag, Zn and Cd), were synthesized using the cation exchange method and their impedance signals were evaluated to determine the capacitance of nanoparticles with various shell layers. The capacitance of an inorganic core-shell nanoparticle showed a positive correlation with the dielectric properties of the shell layer. This means that the electrical properties of a core-shell nanoparticle are heavily influenced by the shell layer rather than the particle core. This study demonstrated that impedance spectroscopy can be utilized for the electrical characterization of inorganic core-shell nanoparticles, and accentuated the importance of the layer properties of the shell on the capacitance of nanoparticles. (C) 2015 The Electrochemical Society.