禁煙車(きんえんしゃ)

Composed of 禁煙(きんえん) (no smoking) and 車(しゃ) (car/vehicle). Historically, Japanese trains had separate 喫煙車(きつえんしゃ) (smoking cars) and 禁煙車(きんえんしゃ) (non-smoking cars). As of the 2020s, almost all trains in Japan are entirely non-smoking, making the distinction largely historical. The term is still used when booking Shinkansen seats, as some older reservation systems reference it.

Common collocations

• 禁煙車(きんえんしゃ)の指定席(していせき): reserved seat in a non-smoking car
• 全車(ぜんしゃ)禁煙(きんえん): all cars non-smoking
• 禁煙車(きんえんしゃ)を希望(きぼう)する: to request a non-smoking car

Similar words

• 喫煙車(きつえんしゃ): smoking car — the opposite, now largely discontinued
• 禁煙(きんえん)席(せき): non-smoking seat — used in restaurants and planes
• 禁煙(きんえん): no smoking — the general concept or policy