(けんいん)(しゃ)

けんいんしゃ
noun
tow truck; towing vehicle; tractor
transportation
1. tow truck; towing vehicle
A vehicle equipped to tow or haul other vehicles, typically broken-down or illegally parked cars.
故障(こしょう)(しゃ)牽引(けんいん)(しゃ)(はこ)んだ
The broken-down car was transported by a tow truck.
The illegally parked car was removed by a tow truck.
事故(じこ)現場(げんば)牽引(けんいん)(しゃ)到着(とうちゃく)するまで1時間(いちじかん)かかった
It took an hour for the tow truck to arrive at the accident scene.
2. tractor; prime mover
A powered vehicle designed to pull trailers, heavy equipment, or other loads. Includes agricultural tractors and the cab units of articulated trucks.
大型(おおがた)牽引(けんいん)(しゃ)トレーラー()いている
A large tractor is pulling a trailer.
On the farm, a tractor is used to move heavy equipment.
This tractor can tow loads up to 20 tons.

A compound of 牽引(けんいん) (towing, pulling) and (しゃ) (vehicle). The word covers both roadside-assistance tow trucks and industrial/agricultural towing vehicles.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • レッカー(しゃ): wrecker, tow truck — specifically the roadside-assistance type; more common in everyday speech
  • トラクター: tractor — the loanword used more commonly for agricultural tractors
  • 牽引(けんいん)免許(めんきょ): towing license — the additional license needed to tow trailers in Japan