How to Say "Rental Car" in Japanese

レンタカー

rentakā[ɾẽ̞nta̠ka̠ː]

The English phrase "rental car" is translated into Japanese as レンタカー (rentakā).

レンタカー is used specifically for cars rented from a commercial rental agency, rather than a car borrowed from a friend.

Meaning: rented car (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is a loanword from English, combining 'rent' (レンタ) and 'car' (カー).

rentakā

Many レンタカー agencies in Japan offer 'ETC' cards for rent, which are essential for paying highway tolls without stopping at manual booths.
Even though the word is a loanword, Japanese speakers rarely use the English phrase 'rent a car' as a verb. Instead, they typically use the native Japanese verb 借りる (kariru) to describe the action of renting the car.
The phrase レンタカー is a 'wasei-eigo' word, meaning it is English-inspired Japanese that sounds natural to locals but might seem slightly different to a native English speaker.

レンタカーなのよ。
It's a rental car.
Tatoeba #11753232 by small_snow, translation #10147444 by ddnktr
これはレンタカーです。
This is a rental car.
Tatoeba #10735587 by small_snow, translation #1229249 by Eldad
ファミリーカーを借りたいです。
I would like to rent a family car.
レンタカーを使いたいです。
I want to use a rental car.
車を受け取る場所はどこですか？
Where is the place to pick up the car?
車を返す場所はどこですか？
Where is the place to return the car?
一週間借りたいです。
I would like to rent it for one week.
特別な車種はありますか？
Do you have any special car models?
保険は付いていますか？
Is insurance included?
レンタカーを予約しました。
rentakā o yoyaku shimashita.
I reserved a rental car.

Yota and Misaki are arriving at the airport.

陽太 Yota

レンタカーはどこにあるかな。
Rentakā wa doko ni aru kana.
I wonder where the rental cars are.
美咲 Misaki

あそこに看板がありますよ。
Asoko ni kanban ga arimasu yo.
There is a sign over there.
陽太 Yota

本当だ。あそこに行こう。
Hontō da. Asoko ni ikō.
You're right. Let's go there.
美咲 Misaki

はい、陽太さん。
Hai, Yōta-san.
Yes, Yota.

Sources

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