Japanese symbol for “car”
車
くるま
Romaji: kuruma
car; automobile; vehicle
In Japanese, car is 車, read くるま (kuruma).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n car; automobile; vehicle
- n wheel; castor; caster
Written forms: 車. Readings: くるま、クルマ.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “car”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 自動車 | じどうしゃ jidousha | car; automobile; motorcar |
| 車両 | しゃりょう sharyou | (wheeled) vehicle; car; (railroad) car |
| 乗用車 | じょうようしゃ jouyousha | (passenger) car; automobile |
| 箱 | はこ hako | car (of a train, etc.) |
| カー | カー kaa | car |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 車両 | しゃりょう sharyou | (wheeled) vehicle; car; (railroad) car |
| 電車 | でんしゃ densha | train; electric train |
| 自動車 | じどうしゃ jidousha | car; automobile; motorcar |
| 自転車 | じてんしゃ jitensha | bicycle; bike |
| 列車 | れっしゃ ressha | train; railway train |
| 駐車 | ちゅうしゃ chuusha | parking (a vehicle) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “car”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.