How do you say "train" in Japanese?

列車

ressha

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "train" is 列車 (ressha).

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Pronunciation

Ressha has a doubled 's' sound and a soft final vowel, so it's 'res-sha', with a firm little stop in the middle.

Writing and usage

列車 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

列車はちょうど時間通りに到着した。

ressha hachoudo jikan touri ni touchaku shita.

The train arrived right on time.

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How to remember 列車

Ressha has a chugging little stop in the middle, matching the rhythmic clack of a train rolling over the tracks.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 列車

How do you pronounce 列車?

Ressha has a doubled 's' sound and a soft final vowel, so it's 'res-sha', with a firm little stop in the middle.

Is 列車 formal or casual?

列車 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 列車 written in Japanese?

列車 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as ressha.

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.

"Train" in other languages

Curated by Jack 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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