How do you say "motorcycle" in Japanese?

オートバイ

ootobai

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "motorcycle" is オートバイ (ootobai).

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Pronunciation

Ootobai holds a long 'oo' at the start, so it's 'OH-to-bai', with the final syllable rhyming with English 'bye'.

Writing and usage

オートバイ is written using katakana. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

彼はバイクで海岸沿いを走りました。

kareha baiku de kaiganzoi iwo hashiri mashita.

He rode his motorcycle along the coast.

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How to remember オートバイ

Ootobai ends in 'bai', sounding like 'bye', so picture waving goodbye as the motorcycle roars off down the road.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about オートバイ

How do you pronounce オートバイ?

Ootobai holds a long 'oo' at the start, so it's 'OH-to-bai', with the final syllable rhyming with English 'bye'.

Is オートバイ formal or casual?

オートバイ is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is オートバイ written in Japanese?

オートバイ is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as ootobai.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Motorcycle" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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