Hey, everyone, and welcome to another edition of Japanese learning with Bondlingo! Today, we’re going to introduce some new vocabulary words for vehicles (乗り物, norimono)! Planes, trains, automobiles… You name it, we’ve probably covered it somewhere below! Strap on your helmets and buckle your seatbelts because we have liftoff!
Contents
Aircraft
Ever since the Wright brothers invented the airplane (飛行機, hikōki) in the early 1900s, air travel has been one of the fastest and most efficient way to travel long distances. Below is a list of the Japanese words and English translations of various types of aircraft.
Aircraft Vocabulary
| Japanese | Furigana | Romaji | English |
| 航空機 | こうくうき | kōkūki | aircraft |
| 飛行機 | ひこうき | hikōki | airplane |
| ヘリコプター | herikoputā | helicopter | |
| 熱気球 | ねつききゅう | netsukikyū | hot-air balloon |
| 軟式飛行船 | なんしきひこうせん | nanshikihikōsen | blimp |
| ジェット | jetto | jet | |
| UFO | ユーフォ | yūfo | UFO |
| ロケット | roketto | tire | |
| 宇宙船 | うちゅうせん | uchūsen | spaceship |
| スペースシャトル | supēsu shatoru | space shuttle | |
| グライダー | guraidā | glider | |
| 水上機 | すいじょうき | suijōki | sea plane |
| 貨物機 | かもつき | kamotsuki | cargo plane |
| 戦闘機 | せんとうき | sentōki | fighter jet |
| ビジネスジェット | bijinesu jetto | private jet | |
| 軍用機 | ぐんようき | gunyōki | military aircraft |
| ハンググライダー | hangu guraidā | hang glider | |
| パラシュート | parashūto | parachute |
Land Vehicles
Ever since ancient times, the wheel has been used as a component to transport people, animals, and practically everything else under the sun over land. Whether you’re driving a car (車, kuruma), taking a bus (バス, basu), or maybe hopping on a train (電車, densha), you’re traveling by land.
Various energy sources have been incorporated into land travel over the years. The most common is fuel such as gasoline and diesel to power motor vehicles such cars and buses. Recently, however, there is a push for alternative fuel sources such as batteries (バッテリー, batterī) and solar power (太陽電力, tayōdenryoku) in order to reduce carbon emissions. Some people even choose to utilize their own body strength (身体の力, shintai no chikara) to power vehicles such as bicycles (自転車, jitensha) and skateboards (スケボー, sukebō) for zero environmental harm! Below is a list of land vehicles and words associated with them in Japanese.
Land Vehicle Vocabulary
| Japanese | Furigana | Romaji | English |
| 陸上車 | りくじょうしゃ | rikujōsha | land vehicle |
| バッテリー式電動輸送機器 | ばってりーしきでんどうゆそうきき | batterī shikidendōyusōkiki | battery-powered electric vehicle |
| 太陽電力 | たいようでんりょく | taiyōdenryoku | solar power |
| 車 | くるま | kuruma | car |
| 自動車 | じどうしゃ | jidōsha | automobile |
| バス | basu | bus | |
| 電車 | でんしゃ | densha | train |
| 救急車 | きゅうきゅうしゃ | kyūkyūsha | ambulance |
| 消防車 | しょうぼうしゃ | shōbōsha | fire truck |
| トラック | torakku | truck | |
| 自転車 | じてんしゃ | jitensha | bicycle |
| 一輪車 | いちりんしゃ | ichirinsha | unicycle |
| 三輪車 | さんりんしゃ | sanrinsha | tricycle |
| 馬車 | ばしゃ | basha | horse-drawn carriage |
| フォークリフト | fōku rifuto | forklift | |
| クレーン | kurēn | crane | |
| ショベルカー | shoberu kā | excavator | |
| オートバイク | ōtobaiku | motorcycle | |
| セグウェイ | seguwei | segway | |
| 戦車 | せんしゃ | sensha | tank |
| 路面電車 | ろめんでんしゃ | romen densha | streetcar/tram/trolley |
| ワゴン | wagon | wagon | |
| ソーラーカー | sōrā kā | solar car | |
| 電気自動車 | でんきじどうしゃ | denki jidōsha | electric vehicle |
| コンバーチブル | konbāchiburu | convertible | |
| 蒸気機関車 | じょうききかんしゃ | jōkikikansha | steam locomotive |
| バギー | bagī | four-wheeler | |
| スケボー | sukebō | skateboard | |
| スノーボー | sunobō | snowboard | |
| ブルドーザー | burudōzā | bulldozer | |
| ベビーカー | bebīkā | baby carriage/stroller | |
| タクシー | takushī | taxi | |
| パトカー | patokā | police car (patrol car) |
Watercraft
And the final category of the day is vehicles that travel on water. Whether it’s to sail the seven seas in a pirate ship (海賊船, kaizokusen) or to take a gondola (ゴンドラ, gondora) ride through the canals of Venice, water vehicles are the mode of transport for the adventurous at heart. From luxurious yachts (ヨット, yotto) to high-speed jet skis (ジェットスキー, jetto sukī), below is a list of Japanese vocabulary words pertaining to watercraft.
Watercraft
| Japanese | Furigana | Romaji | English |
| 船舶 | せんぱく | senpaku | water vessel |
| 船 | ふね | fune | ship |
| 潜水艦 | せんすいかん | sensuikan | submarine |
| ホバークラフト | hobā kurafuto | hovercraft | |
| 筏 | いかだ | ikada | raft |
| クルーズ客船 | くるーずきゃくせん | kurūzu kyakusen | cruise ship |
| ボート | bōto | boat | |
| ヨット | yotto | yacht | |
| ジェットスキー | jetto sukī | jet ski | |
| サーフボード | sāfu bōdo | surfboard | |
| 戦艦 | せんかん | senkan | battleship |
| 海賊船 | かいぞくせん | kaizokusen | pirate ship |
| カヌー | kanū | canoe | |
| カヤック | kayakku | kayak | |
| 帆船 | はんせん | hansen | sailboat |
| 航空母艦 | こうくうぼかん | kōkūbokan | aircraft carrier |
| 引船 | ひきぶね | hikibune | tugboat |
| 海軍艦艇 | かいぐんかんてい | kaigunkantei | naval vessel |
| 漁船 | ぎょせん | gyosen | fishing boat |
| フェリー | ferī | ferry | |
| ゴンドラ | gondora | gondola |
Now that you’ve got a plethora of new Japanese vocabulary words at your disposal, it’s time to get out there and practice! What do you drive, a kuruma, a torakku, or do you stay fit and environmentally friendly by riding a jitensha? When you see a vehicle pass by in the air, on land, or in water, what kind of vehicle is it? A hikōki? An ōtobaiku? A bōto?
Remember, mastering a language takes everyday practice, so don’t forget to get out there today and practice, practice, practice!
General Words Involving Vehicles
| Japanese | Furigana | Romaji | English |
| 乗り物 | のりもの | norimono | vehicle |
| 熱気球 | ねつききゅう | netsukikyū | hot-air balloon |
| 三輪車 | さんりんしゃ | sanrinsha | tricycle |
| ヘリコプター | herikoputā | helicopter | |
| 筏 | いかだ | ikada | raft |
| トラック | torakku | truck | |
| 切符 | きっぷ | kippu | ticket |
| 潜水艦 | せんすいかん | sensuikan | submarine |
| タイヤ | taiya | tire | |
| 自動車 | じどうしゃ | jidōsha | automobile |
| オートバイ | ōtobai | motorcycle | |
| 救急車 | きゅうきゅうしゃ | kyūkyūsha | ambulance |
| バス | basu | bus | |
| 電車 | でんしゃ | densha | train |
| ベビーカー | bebīkā | baby carriage/stroller | |
| 交差点 | こうさてん | kōsaten | intersection |
| 自転車 | じてんしゃ | jitensha | bicycle |
| 一輪車 | いちりんしゃ | ichirinsha | unicycle |
| 消防車 | しょうぼうしゃ | shōbōsha | fire truck |
| 飛行機 | ひこうき | hi kōki | airplane/plane |
| 船 | ふね | fune | ship |
| ヨット | yotto | yacht | |
| 線路 | せんろ | senro | railroad |
| パトカー | patokā | police car (patrol car) | |
| タクシー | takushī | taxi |
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