救急車
kyūkyūsha[kʲɨːkʲɨːɕa̠]
The Japanese word for "ambulance" is 救急車 (kyūkyūsha).
The term 救急車 refers to an emergency vehicle.
Meaning: emergency vehicle (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 救急 (kyūkyū), meaning 'emergency/first aid' and 車 (sha), meaning 'vehicle'.
How do you pronounce it?
kyūkyūsha
Did you know?
- In Japan, the sound of a siren is often described by the onomatopoeia ピーポー (pīpō).
- While the word is 救急車, people often call for one by shouting 救急車を呼んでください ('Please call an ambulance') or simply by using the emergency number '119'.
- The character 救 (kyū) means 'to rescue' or 'to save', which is a more active verb than the English 'emergency' implies.
Examples in context
- 救急車を呼んで！Call an ambulance.Tatoeba #182413 by small_snow, translation #19587 by CK
- 救急車が来たぞ。The ambulance has just arrived.Tatoeba #12286954 by small_snow, translation #12286951 by CK
- 救急車、来たよ。The ambulance has arrived.Tatoeba #12816970 by small_snow, translation #10498506 by sundown
- 彼は救急車で病院に運ばれました。He was transported to the hospital by an ambulance.
- 救急車がすぐに到着しました。The ambulance arrived quickly.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Yui see a medical emergency on the street.
- 陽太 Yota誰か救急車を呼んでください！Dareka kyūkyūsha o yonde kudasai!Someone please call an ambulance!
- 結衣 Yui私が今呼びますね。Watashi ga ima yobimasu ne.I will call right now.
- 陽太 Yotaあ、救急車が来ました！A, kyūkyūsha ga kimashita!Oh, the ambulance has arrived!
- 結衣 Yui本当だ。よかったですね。Hontō da. Yokatta desu ne.You're right. That's a relief.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “ambulance” translations and entries 救急車, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
