1.
bullet train
A high-speed train, especially Japan's Shinkansen. The term literally means "bullet train" and was the original nickname for the Shinkansen project before it launched in 1964.
弾丸列車で東京から大阪まで行く。
To go from Tokyo to Osaka by bullet train.
弾丸列車は時速300キロで走る。
The bullet train runs at 300 kilometers per hour.
1964年の東京オリンピックに合わせて、世界初の弾丸列車が開通した。
The world's first bullet train began service in time for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Literally "bullet train" — 弾丸 (bullet) + 列車 (train). This was the original nickname for the Shinkansen high-speed rail project dating from the wartime era. While 新幹線 is the standard term in Japan, 弾丸列車 is still used colloquially and is the origin of the English term "bullet train."
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 弾丸列車で移動する: to travel by bullet train
- 弾丸列車計画: bullet train project (historical)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 新幹線: Shinkansen — the official and far more common term for Japan's high-speed rail
- 高速鉄道: high-speed railway — the formal, technical term
- 超特急: super express — an older term for the fastest class of train service
HISTORICAL NOTE:
The "bullet train" concept originated in a 1939 plan to build a high-speed rail line connecting Tokyo to Shimonoseki. The project was shelved during World War II but revived in the postwar era, culminating in the Tokaido Shinkansen's launch on October 1, 1964.