1.
light vehicle; non-motorized vehicle
A legal category in Japanese traffic law that includes bicycles, animal-drawn carts, rickshaws, and other non-motorized or small vehicles. In traffic regulations, light vehicles must follow specific rules different from both pedestrians and motor vehicles.
自転車は軽車両に分類される。
Bicycles are classified as light vehicles.
軽車両は車道の左側を走らなければならない。
Light vehicles must travel on the left side of the road.
「軽車両進入禁止」の標識がある場所では、自転車も通れない。
At locations with a 'no light vehicle entry' sign, bicycles cannot pass through either.
A compound of 軽 (light) and 車両 (vehicle). This is a legal term from Japanese traffic law (道路交通法). The most common type of light vehicle encountered in daily life is the bicycle. Many people are surprised to learn that bicycles are legally classified as vehicles, not as a pedestrian category.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 軽車両進入禁止: no light vehicle entry
- 軽車両通行止め: light vehicles prohibited
- 軽車両に分類される: to be classified as a light vehicle
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 軽自動車: kei car — a small motor vehicle with engine displacement under 660cc, a completely different category
- 車両: vehicle — the general term for any vehicle including motor vehicles
- 原動機付自転車: motorized bicycle — a small motorized vehicle that falls outside the light vehicle category