Japanese symbol for “van”
車
しゃ
Romaji: sha
car; vehicle; van; truck
In Japanese, van is 車, read しゃ (sha).
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
- suf car; vehicle; van; truck; wagon; lorry
- ctr, suf (train) car; carriage
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “van”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| バン | バン ban | van; truck; delivery van |
| 貨車 | かしゃ kasha | freight car; van |
| 急先鋒 | きゅうせんぽう kyuusenpou | van (of a movement); vanguard; forefront |
| ＶＡＮ | ブイ・エー・エヌ bui・ee・enu | value-added network; VAN |
| 小型トラック | こがたトラック kogatatorakku | small truck; pickup truck; pickup |
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 “van”.
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.