寝台車(しんだいしゃ)

しんだいしゃ
noun
sleeping car; sleeper car (on a train)
transportation
1. sleeping car; sleeper car (a railway car with beds for overnight passengers)
A railway car equipped with beds or berths where passengers can sleep during overnight long-distance travel. Once common on Japan's long-distance express trains, such cars have become rare, with only a few luxury 'cruise train' services now operating them.
寝台車(しんだいしゃ)で東京(とうきょう)まで行(い)った。
I went to Tokyo by sleeper car.
寝台車(しんだいしゃ)の切符(きっぷ)はもう売(う)り切(き)れていた。
The sleeper-car tickets were already sold out.
最近(さいきん)は寝台車(しんだいしゃ)を連結(れんけつ)した夜行列車(やこうれっしゃ)がほとんどなくなってしまった。
These days overnight trains with sleeper cars attached have almost all disappeared.

Compound of 寝台(しんだい) ('bed; berth') and 車(しゃ) ('car; vehicle'). Refers specifically to a railway car equipped with berths; not used for road vehicles.

Usage

  • Almost always refers to the sleeper car of a long-distance or overnight train. Modern Japan retains only a handful of such services, so the word carries a slightly nostalgic, retro feel for many speakers.
  • On luxury cruise trains like the トワイライトエクスプレス瑞風(みずかぜ) the cabins are usually called by more specific names (e.g., スイート), but 寝台車(しんだいしゃ) still appears as the general category term.

Common collocations

  • 寝台車(しんだいしゃ)に乗(の)る: to board a sleeper car
  • 寝台車(しんだいしゃ)で旅(たび)をする: to travel by sleeper car
  • 寝台車(しんだいしゃ)の予約(よやく): sleeper-car reservation
  • A寝(しん)寝台車(しんだいしゃ) / B寝(しん)寝台車(しんだいしゃ): first-class / second-class sleeper car

Related words

Related Words

Related: 夜行列車(やこうれっしゃ) (night train)
Related: 寝台列車(しんだいれっしゃ) (sleeper train)
Related: 食堂車(しょくどうしゃ) (dining car (on a train))
general
Added 2026.4.15 16:10 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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