トランク

とらんく
noun
trunk; suitcase; car boot
1. trunk; large suitcase
A large, rigid suitcase or travel case. Evokes the classic rectangular hard-sided luggage, though the word is sometimes used loosely for large bags in general.
トランクに荷物(にもつ)()める。
Pack luggage into a trunk.
(かわ)のトランクを()って(たび)()た。
I set off on a trip with a leather trunk.
祖父(そふ)(ふる)いトランクから戦時中(せんじちゅう)手紙(てがみ)()てきた。
Wartime letters came out of my grandfather's old trunk.
2. trunk; boot (of a car)
The luggage compartment at the rear of a car. This is the standard everyday word for this part of the car in Japanese.
トランクを()ける。
Open the trunk.
()(もの)(ふくろ)をトランクに()れた。
I put the shopping bags in the trunk.
この(くるま)はトランクが(ひろ)いので、ゴルフバッグも(らく)(はい)る。
This car has a spacious trunk, so a golf bag fits in easily.

A loanword from English "trunk." Both senses are common in everyday Japanese.

USAGE:
For luggage, トランク evokes a traditional hard-sided rectangular case. Modern wheeled suitcases are more often called スーツケース or キャリーケース, while トランク has a somewhat classic or vintage feel in this sense. For cars, トランク is the everyday word — it works for sedans and is sometimes extended to SUVs and hatchbacks, though 荷室(にしつ) (cargo area) is also used for those.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • トランクを()ける: to open the trunk
  • トランクに()む: to load into the trunk
  • トランク{ルーム}: storage room, trunk room (a rental storage unit)
  • トランクス: boxer shorts (trunks — note the different word)

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • スーツケース: suitcase — the standard modern word for wheeled luggage
  • キャリーケース: carry-on case — wheeled luggage, especially cabin-size
  • 荷室(にしつ): cargo area — a more generic term for a vehicle's luggage space