How do you say "water tub" in Japanese?

船

fune

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "water tub" is 船 (fune).

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Pronunciation

船 is written using kanji. Romanised as fune, it sounds roughly like "foo-neh" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Fune is the kanji for boat or ship, a single-character word that also means any large container for water. The same character works for both because of the shape and function.

Example sentence

船の横に立ちました。

Fune no yoko ni tachimashita.

I stood next to the water tub.

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How to remember 船

The kanji itself looks like a boat viewed from above, with a curved hull and cargo space.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 船

How do you pronounce 船?

船 is romanised as fune. Say it roughly like "foo-neh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 船 formal or casual?

船 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 written in Japanese?

船 is written using kanji. Fune is the kanji for boat or ship, a single-character word that also means any large container for water.

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.

"Water tub" in other languages

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