車 夫(しゃふ)

しゃふ

noun

rickshaw puller

1. rickshaw puller; rickshaw man

A person who pulls a jinrikisha (人力車), a two-wheeled passenger cart. Historically a common occupation in the Meiji through early Shōwa periods. Today, rickshaw pullers can still be seen in tourist areas like Asakusa, Kyoto, and Kamakura.

車夫(しゃふ)が観光客(かんこうきゃく)を乗(の)せて走(はし)る。

The rickshaw puller runs carrying tourists.

浅草(あさくさ)で車夫(しゃふ)に案内(あんない)してもらった。

I had a rickshaw puller show me around in Asakusa.

明治時代(めいじじだい)の小説(しょうせつ)には車夫(しゃふ)がよく登場(とうじょう)する。

Rickshaw pullers frequently appear in novels from the Meiji era.

車夫(しゃふ) literally means "vehicle man" (車(しゃ) = vehicle, 夫(ふ) = man/laborer). The full term for the vehicle is 人力車(じんりきしゃ) (human-powered vehicle). Modern rickshaw pullers in tourist areas are often athletic young people who also serve as tour guides.

Common collocations

人力車(じんりきしゃ)の車夫(しゃふ) — rickshaw puller
車夫(しゃふ)を務(つと)める — to work as a rickshaw puller

Related words

人力車(じんりきしゃ) — rickshaw
馬車(ばしゃ) — horse-drawn carriage
御者(ぎょしゃ) — coachman, driver

Related Words

Related: 人力車(じんりきしゃ) (rickshaw)

Related: 馬車(ばしゃ) (horse-drawn carriage)

general

Added 2026.3.22 11:34 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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