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
general
Added 2026.3.22 11:34
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