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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "sailor" in Japanese?
船乗り
funanori
In Japanese, "sailor" is 船乗り (funanori).
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Pronunciation
Pronounce fu-na-NO-ri, four syllables where funa means boat and nori means riding, so it reads boat-rider.
Writing and usage
船乗り is written using kanji. 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
船乗りは嵐の中を船を操縦した。
funanori ha arashi no naka wo fune wo soujuu shita.
The sailor steered the ship through the storm.
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How to remember 船乗り
Funanori splits into funa, boat, and nori, ride - a sailor is literally the one who rides the boat.
Related words
- surgeon 外科医 gekai
- veterinarian 獣医 juui
- pharmacist 薬剤師 yakuzaishi
- teacher 教師 kyoushi
- professor 教授 kyouju
- architect 建築家 kenchikuka
- judge 裁判官 saibankan
- police 警察 keisatsu
- firefighter 消防士 shouboushi
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 船乗り
How do you pronounce 船乗り?
Pronounce fu-na-NO-ri, four syllables where funa means boat and nori means riding, so it reads boat-rider.
Is 船乗り formal or casual?
船乗り 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 船乗り written in Japanese?
船乗り is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as funanori.
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.
"Sailor" 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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