列車

ressha
nounBeginner
general

A train, typically referring to a passenger train or a series of connected railcars.

新幹線は日本の高速列車です

The Shinkansen is Japan's high-speed train.

💡

In Japanese, '列車' generally refers to passenger trains, while '貨物列車' (kamotsu ressha) refers to freight trains.

Collocations

新幹線Shinkansen (bullet train)特急express train普通列車local train

Synonyms

💡Pro Tip

Formal vs. Casual Usage

Use '列車' in formal writing or announcements, while '電車' is more natural in daily conversation.

📖Word Origin

From '列' (retsu, meaning 'row' or 'line') and '車' (sha, meaning 'vehicle'), literally 'a line of vehicles'.

📝Usage Notes

'列車' is commonly used in formal contexts, while '電車' (densha) is more casual and widely used in everyday speech.

Word Breakdown

row, line
root
+
vehicle
root
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