戦車
sensha[sẽ̞ɰ̃ɕa̠]
The Japanese word for 'tank' (armoured fighting vehicle) is 戦車 (sensha).
The term 戦車 refers specifically to an armoured fighting vehicle.
Meaning: armoured fighting vehicle (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
sensha
Did you know?
- The kanji used in 戦車 are 'war' and 'chariot'. This construction reflects an ancient naming convention where modern machines are described using the imagery of historical warfare.
- While 戦車 refers to an armoured vehicle, the word for a 'water tank' is usually タンク, a loanword from English. Using 戦車 to describe a household container would sound quite bizarre to a Japanese speaker.
- In heavy gaming terminology in Japan, players might use the katakana loanword タンク to refer to a 'tank' class character who absorbs damage, rather than the kanji 戦車.
Examples in context
- 朝早くに、戦車戦は始まった。Early in the morning, the tank battle began.This sentence shows how to use 戦車 in the context of a tank battle.Tatoeba #9187833 by small_snow, translation #9187699 by AlanF_US
- 最新の戦車技術について研究を行っています。We are conducting research on the latest tank technology.
- ゲームで敵のタンクを破壊しました！I destroyed the enemy tank in the game!
- 博物館に本物の戦車があります。Hakubutsukan ni honmono no sensha ga arimasu.There is a real tank in the museum.
- 彼は戦車のデザインに興味があります。Kare wa sensha no dezain ni kyoumi ga arimasu.He is interested in the design of the tank.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are looking at a history book.
- 健太 Kentaこの戦車はとても大きいです。Kono sensha wa totemo ookii desu.This tank is very large.
- 結衣 Yui本当ですね。迫力があります。Hontou desu ne. Hakuryoku ga arimasu.It really is. It looks powerful.
- 健太 Kenta結衣さんは、戦車を見たことがありますか？Yui-san wa, sensha o mita koto ga arimasu ka?Yui, have you ever seen a tank?
- 結衣 Yuiいいえ、一度もありません。Iie, ichido mo arimasen.No, never.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tank” translations and entries 戦車, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
