Japanese symbol for “cart”
屋台
やたい
Romaji: yatai
cart (esp. a food cart); stall; stand
In Japanese, cart is 屋台, read やたい (yatai).
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 cart (esp. a food cart); stall; stand
- n festival float; portable shrine dedicated to a god and shaped like a house; dancing platform
- n stage prop fashioned after a large building
- n framework (of a building); foundation
- n house (esp. a small and miserable one)
Written forms: 屋台、屋体、家台. Readings: やたい.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “cart”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| カート | カート kaato | (shopping) cart |
| 馬車 | ばしゃ basha | coach (horse-drawn); carriage; wagon |
| 台車 | だいしゃ daisha | platform truck; hand truck; trolley |
| 荷車 | にぐるま niguruma | cart; wagon |
| 馬車 | マーチョ maacho | coach (horse-drawn); carriage; wagon |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 部屋 | へや heya | room; chamber |
| 屋根 | やね yane | roof |
| 屋敷 | やしき yashiki | residence; estate; grounds |
| 小屋 | こや koya | hut; cabin; shed |
| 居酒屋 | いざかや izakaya | izakaya; tavern, bar, etc. that also serves various dishes and snacks |
| 屋上 | おくじょう okujou | rooftop |
| 舞台 | ぶたい butai | stage (of a theatre, concert hall, etc.) |
| 台風 | たいふう taifuu | typhoon; hurricane |
See also: Chinese symbol for “cart”.
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.