車両
sharyō[ɕa̠ɾʲo̞ː]
The Japanese phrase for train car is 車両 (sharyō).
車両 refers to a single carriage or unit that makes up a train. This term is typically used in technical, official or news contexts to refer to the individual units of a train set.
How does it change in a sentence?
When discussing the length of a train in terms of the number of carriages, the suffix 数 (sū) is added to 車両 (sharyō) to create 車両数, meaning 'number of cars'.
How do you pronounce it?
sharyō
Did you know?
- The 'ryō' in 'sharyō' is a specialized counter that can also be used to count certain types of traditional Japanese boats or ships.
- Passengers rarely use the technical term 車両 to identify where they are sitting. Instead, they use 号車 (gōsha) to refer to a specific numbered car.
- The character 両 in 車両 is a simplified substitute known as a 'daiyōji' that replaced the more complex character 輛.
Examples in context
- 電車の一番前の車両に座りたいです。I would like to sit in the first car of the train.
- 列車の後ろの車両は混んでいます。The cars at the back of the train are crowded.
- 新幹線の車両はとても広いですね。The Shinkansen train cars are very spacious, aren't they?
- 朝の電車の車がいつも混雑しています。The cars on the morning train are always crowded.
- この車両はとても新しいです。kono sharyou wa totemo atarashii desu.This train car is very new.
- 連結部分の車両を確認してください。renketsu bubun no sharyou o kakunin shite kudasai.Please check the train car at the coupling.
- 故障した車両を切り離します。koshou shita sharyou o kirihanashimasu.We will detach the broken train car.
Example conversation
Hiyori and Hiroto are looking for a seat on a crowded train.
- 陽葵 Himariこの車両は人が多いね。Kono sharyō wa hito ga ooi ne.This train car is crowded, isn't it?
- 大翔 Hiroto本当だ。あっちに行こう。Hontō da. Atchi ni ikō.You're right. Let's go that way.
- 陽葵 Himari前の車両は空いているかな？Mae no sharyō wa aite iru kana?I wonder if the front train car is empty?
- 大翔 Hiroto見てみよう。行こうか。Mite miyō. Ikō ka.Let's check. Shall we go?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 車両, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 車両, CC BY-SA 4.0.
