乗客
Meaning in Englishpassenger
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
What does 乗客 mean? It refers to a person who rides in a vehicle as a passenger. The term designates someone who boards and travels with a transportation service, such as trains, buses, airplanes, or ships, as a neutral occupant rather than a driver or crew member.
Main meanings
- Primary meaning: a person traveling in a vehicle as a passenger.
- Usage in counts or lists: often appears in phrases like 乗客数 (passenger count) or 乗客リスト (passenger roster).
- Contextual nuance: used in formal, neutral descriptions of travel or transport, distinct from crew or driver terminology.
How to use it
Used in transportation contexts to refer to people who ride a vehicle as passengers. Common in official announcements, schedules, and everyday speech when discussing travelers; not used for crew or drivers. Contexts include rail, air, sea, and bus travel, with a neutral to formal tone; often appears in compound terms describing numbers, manifests, or seating arrangements.
Variants and close terms
- 旅客 — ryokaku, passenger or traveler
- 搭乗者 — toujou-sha, passenger or boarder
Composition
- 乗: ride, mount; conveys the act of getting on a vehicle
- 客: guest, customer; indicates a person who is served or accommodated
Etymology
乗 means to ride or mount; 客 means guest or customer; together they form a compound read with the on-yomi giving じょうきゃく, describing a person who rides as a guest in a vehicle.
Word class
noun (名詞)