車輪
sharin[ɕa̠ɾʲĩɴ]
The English word wheel can be translated into Japanese as 車輪 (sharin). Wiktionary also lists 車 (kuruma).
Meaning: a circular device facilitating movement or transportation (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 車輪 | sharin | [ɕa̠ɾʲĩɴ] (narrow) |
| 車 | kuruma | [kɯ̟ɾɯ̟ma̠] (narrow) |
The term refers to a circular device that facilitates movement or transportation.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 車輪 (sharin) is composed of 車, meaning car or vehicle and 輪, meaning wheel or ring.
Which one should you use?
While 車輪 refers specifically to the circular wheel itself, 車 is the more common word used to refer to the entire vehicle.
How do you pronounce it?
sharin
Did you know?
- While 車輪 describes the physical object, the word 輪 (rin) is frequently used in Buddhist terminology to describe the 'Dharma Wheel', representing the teachings of the Buddha.
- The word 'kuruma' might be etymologically linked to the verb 'kuru', which means to spin thread, suggesting that the concept of 'wheels' and 'spinning' share a linguistic root.
- In historical Japanese contexts, 車 didn't just mean a modern car but specifically referred to ox-drawn carriages used by the nobility.
Examples in context
- 日本車は、右ハンドルです。Japanese cars have the steering wheel on the right.This sentence shows how to use 車 in the context of Japanese cars.Tatoeba #11165428 by small_snow, translation #11165396 by gcaplan
- 私は車のハンドルを右に切った。I turned my steering wheel to the right.This sentence illustrates the use of 車 when describing turning a steering wheel.Tatoeba #156143 by bunbuku, translation #974238 by Skaty
- 観覧車の一番上から街全体が見渡せます。You could see the entire city from the top of the Ferris wheel.This sentence uses 車 as part of the word for Ferris wheel, 観覧車.Tatoeba #9961058 by small_snow, translation #9935070 by DJ_Saidez
- 新しい自転車には丈夫な車輪がついています。The new bicycle has sturdy wheels.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hiroto and Himari are looking at a broken toy wagon.
- 大翔 Hirotoこのおもちゃの車輪が外れているよ。Kono omocha no sharin ga hazurete iru yo.The wheel of this toy is coming off.
- 陽葵 Himari本当に。車輪を直さないと動かないね。Hontō ni. Sharin o naosanai to ugokanai ne.You're right. It won't move unless we fix the wheel.
- 大翔 Hiroto僕が車輪を付け直してみるよ。Boku ga sharin o tsukenaoshite miru yo.I'll try to put the wheel back on.
- 陽葵 Himariありがとう、大翔くん。Arigatō, Hiroto-kun.Thank you, Hiroto.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wheel” translations and entries 車輪, 車, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 車, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
