汽車

きしゃ · kisha · JLPT N4 · noun

train

汽車 — train

🚂 汽車 = steam (汽) + vehicle (車): a steam-powered train

汽 is steam or vapour and 車 is a wheeled vehicle, so the compound literally reads steam-vehicle. In Japanese that means a steam train; the same characters in Chinese mean car, a classic false friend.

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