バスの運転手
basu no untenshu
The English phrase 'bus driver' is translated into Japanese as バスの運転手 (basu no untenshu).
The term refers to a person employed to drive buses.
Meaning: person employed to drive buses (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of basu (bus), the particle no (a possessive or linking particle) and untenshu (driver).
Which one should you use?
While バスの運転手 is the standard form, you may see バス運転手 in more formal or technical contexts, such as in official documentation or job titles, where the particle no is omitted. For a friendly and informal way to say bus driver, you can use バスの運ちゃん.
How does it change in a sentence?
When referring to the person in conversation, you can add the honorific suffix san to the end of the word to form バスの運転手さん, which makes the term more polite.
How do you pronounce it?
basu no untenshu
Did you know?
- The informal term 運ちゃん (un-chan) uses a cute diminutive suffix normally reserved for children or pets, reflecting a nostalgic, friendly rapport between passengers and local drivers.
- It is a common Japanese custom to say ありがとうございます (thank you) to the バスの運転手 specifically as you exit the bus, even if you did not interact with them during the trip.
- The word 手, which appears at the end of 運転手, literally means 'hand'. This reflects the linguistic pattern of using body parts to denote a person who performs a specific skilled action.
Examples in context
- 彼はバスの運転手だ。He is a bus driver.This sentence is useful for stating that someone is a バスの運転手.Tatoeba #111279 by bunbuku, translation #292404 by CK
- どうしてバスの運転手になりたいの？Why do you want to become a bus driver?This sentence is useful for asking why someone wants to become a バスの運転手.Tatoeba #12587564 by bunbuku, translation #8438229 by CK
- お父さんは、バスの運転手さんなのよ。His father is a bus driver.This sentence is useful for describing someone's father as a バスの運転手.Tatoeba #11706860 by small_snow, translation #8400734 by Amastan
- バスの運転手に道を尋ねました。I asked a bus driver for directions.
- あのバスの運ちゃんはとても親切ですね。That bus driver is very kind, isn't he/she?
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota are talking about their dream jobs at a cafe.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太くんの夢は何？Yota-kun no yume wa nani?What is your dream, Yota?
- 陽太 Yota僕はバスの運転手になりたいんだ。Boku wa basu no untenshu ni naritai n da.I want to be a bus driver.
- 美咲 Misakiかっこいい！バスの運転手は大変そうだけど。Kakkoii! Basu no untenshu wa taihen sou dakedo.That's cool! But being a bus driver looks hard.
- 陽太 Yotaでも、街の人を助けられるよ。Demo, machi no hito o tasukerareru yo.But, I can help the people in the city.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
