Phrase guide

bullet train

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A Shinkansen train; a Japanese high-speed rail train.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any high-speed train which resembles such a train.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a high-speed passenger train

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bullet

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: passenger train

History

Etymology

Calque from Japanese 弾(だん)丸(がん)列(れっ)車(しゃ) (dangan ressha).

Across languages

Translations

56 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: شِينْكَانْسِن (šinkansen) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Chinese Mandarin: 新幹線 /新干线 (xīngànxiàn) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Chinese Mandarin: 子彈火車 /子弹火车 (zǐdàn huǒchē) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Esperanto: ŝinkanseno — Japanese high-speed train
  • Finnish: luotijuna — Japanese high-speed train
  • Finnish: shinkansen — Japanese high-speed train
  • French: shinkansen — Japanese high-speed train
  • Georgian: სინკასენი (sinḳaseni) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Georgian: იაპონური ზეჩქარი მატარებელი (iaṗonuri zečkari maṭarebeli) — Japanese high-speed train
  • German: Shinkansen — Japanese high-speed train
  • German: Hochgeschwindigkeitszug — Japanese high-speed train
  • Hebrew: שינקנסן (shinkansen) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Hindi: शिनकानसेन (śinkānsen) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Japanese: 新幹線 (shinkansen) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Korean: 신칸센 (sinkansen) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Malay: syinkansen — Japanese high-speed train
  • Malay: شينکنسين — Japanese high-speed train
  • Marathi: बुलेट ट्रेन (buleṭ ṭren) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Marathi: शिनकानसेन (śinkānsen) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Mongolian: шинкансэн (šinkansen) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Mongolian: суман галт тэрэг (suman galt tereg) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Portuguese: trem-bala — Japanese high-speed train
  • Portuguese: comboio-bala — Japanese high-speed train
  • Russian: синкансэ́н (sinkansɛ́n) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Russian: высокоскоростно́й по́езд (vysokoskorostnój pójezd) — Japanese high-speed train
  • Swedish: shinkansen — Japanese high-speed train
  • Vietnamese: shinkansen — Japanese high-speed train
  • Chinese Mandarin: 子彈火車 /子弹火车 (zǐdàn huǒchē) — high-speed train
  • Chinese Mandarin: 高鐵 /高铁 (gāotiě) — high-speed train
  • Danish: højhastighedstog — high-speed train
  • Finnish: luotijuna — high-speed train
  • French: train à grande vitesse (TGV) — high-speed train
  • Georgian: ზეჩქარული მატარებელი (zečkaruli maṭarebeli) — high-speed train
  • Georgian: ზეჩქარული სამგზავრო მატარებელი (zečkaruli samgzavro maṭarebeli) — high-speed train
  • German: Hochgeschwindigkeitszug — high-speed train
  • German: Superexpress — high-speed train
  • Hindi: बुलेट ट्रेन (buleṭ ṭren) — high-speed train
  • Hungarian: nagysebességű/szupergyors/szupersebességű vonat/vasút — high-speed train
  • Japanese: 超特急 (chōtokkyū) — high-speed train
  • Japanese: 弾丸列車 (dangan ressha) — high-speed train
  • Korean: 초특급 (choteukgeup) — high-speed train
  • Korean: 탄환열차 (tanhwanyeolcha) — high-speed train
  • Korean: 총알열차 (chong'aryeolcha) — high-speed train
  • Korean: 총알고속열차 (chong'algosogyeolcha) — high-speed train
  • Malay: syinkansen — high-speed train
  • Malay: شينکنسين — high-speed train
  • Marathi: बुलेट ट्रेन (buleṭ ṭren) — high-speed train
  • Portuguese: trem-bala — high-speed train
  • Portuguese: comboio-bala — high-speed train
  • Romanian: tren de mare viteză — high-speed train
  • Russian: высокоскоростно́й по́езд (vysokoskorostnój pójezd) — high-speed train
  • Russian: суперэкспре́сс (superɛkspréss) — high-speed train
  • Spanish: tren de alta velocidad — high-speed train
  • Spanish: tren de gran velocidad — high-speed train
  • Spanish: tren bala — high-speed train
  • Spanish: AVE — high-speed train