How to say “car” in Japanese
Japanese native speakers would say “kuruma”. It is the Japanese word for ‘car’. In this blog post, I will explain this word and how to use it through an example sentence. And also, I will explain the similar word, “jidousha”, in detail based on its kanji expression. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand the difference between these similar words. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “kuruma”
Below are the definition and meaning of “kuruma”.
- kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘cars’. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Its definition and meaning are very simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “car” in Japanese
kare wa atarashii kuruma wo kat ta – 彼は新しい車を買った (かれはあたらしいくるまをかった)
He bought a new car.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is used after “kare” to make the subject word in the sentence.
- atarashii – 新しい (あたらしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘new’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is used after the noun phrase, “atarashii kuruma”, to make the object in the sentence.
- kat – 買っ (かっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “kau”, which means ‘to buy’ or ‘to purchase’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb or adjective to make its past tense form. Probably this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, it is used after “kat” to make its past tense form, “kat ta”.
This is a typical usage of “kuruma”. When we want to say “car” or “cars” in Japanese, this word would be the best choice.
Japanese native speakers say “kuruma” to mean ‘car’ or ‘cars’ in daily conversations. In formal situations, however, they tend to say “jidousha” instead. It is the Japanese word for ‘automobile’. Next, let me explain this word in detail.
Definition and meaning of “jidousha”
Below are the definition and meaning of “jidousha”.
- jidousha – 自動車 (じどうしゃ) : a noun meaning ‘automobile’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun.
This word has more or less the same meaning as “kuruma”, but sounds more formal. In formal situations, therefore, Japanese speakers prefer this word. When they want to say “automobile industry” or even “car industry” in Japanese, for example, they would say “jidousha sangyou”. So, when we want to talk about cars in formal situations, we should pick the formal one.
To understand this word more clearly, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
“Jidousha” in kanji
Below are the kanji characters used in “jidousha”.
- 自 : a kanji character often used as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘self-‘.
- 動 : a kanji character often used to express the act of moving.
- 車 : the same as explained above. This means ‘car’ or ‘cars’ in Japanese.
From these three kanji characters, we can understand that “jidousha” literally means ‘self-moving car’. I don’t think that this kanji concept is completely in line with the meaning, ‘car’. Yet, it was definitely a good idea when car design changed from man-powered or horse-powered to machine-driven.
Then, let me explain how to use “jidousha” through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to use “jidousha”
kare wa jidousha sangyou de hatarai te iru – 彼は自動車産業で働いている (かれはじどうしゃさんぎょうではたらいている)
He is working in the automobile industry.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- sangyou – 産業 (さんぎょう) : a noun meaning ‘industry’ in Japanese.
- de – で : a case particle used to indicate a particular place where someone does something. In the example, it is used after “jidousha sangyou” to indicate the field where he is working.
- hatarai – 働い (はたらい) : one conjugation of the verb, “hataraku”, which means ‘to work’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb or adjective to make its te form. In the example, this auxiliary verb is used after “hatarai” to make its te form, “hatarai te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “iru”.
- iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by the preceding verb. In the example, it is used after the te-formed verb, “hatarai te”, to express the continuity of its action, ‘to work’.
This is a typical usage of “jidousha”. In the example, it is used as a part of the longer noun, “jidousha sangyou”, which means ‘automobile industry’ in Japanese. When we want to say “automobile” or “car” in a formal way in Japanese, this word would be the best choice.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the two words, “kuruma” and “jidousha”, and their difference. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kuruma – 車 (くるま) : a noun meaning ‘car’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun meaning ‘cars’. Japanese native speakers tend to use this word in daily conversations.
- jidousha – 自動車 (じどうしゃ) : a noun meaning ‘automobile’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. These three kanji characters literally mean ‘self-moving car’. This kanji concept is not completely in line with the meaning. Yet, it was definitely a good idea when car design changed from man-powered or horse-powered to machine-driven. Japanese native speakers tend to use this word in formal situations.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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