Japanese word

クレーン

Pronunciation

Romajikurēn

Meaning

  • nouncrane

Example

港でクレーンが船から荷物を下ろします。minato de ku rē n ga fune ka ra ni motsu o o ro shi ma su

A crane unloads cargo from a ship at the port.

Illustration for クレーン (crane)

More examples

工事現場では、大型のクレーンを使っています。kō ji gen ba de wa ō gata no ku rē n o tsuka tte i ma su

Large cranes are used at construction sites.

Core concept

Describes equipment that raises heavy objects and carries them from one place to another by a projecting arm.

Common phrases

  • クレーンを操作するku rē n o sō sa su ru

    operate a crane

  • クレーンで吊り上げるku rē n de tsu ri a ge ru

    lift with a crane

Similar words

起重機kijūki: A technical name for equipment that raises heavy objects and moves them across a work area.

Definition in Japanese

長い腕やつり具を使って、重い物をつり上げたり運んだりする機械。naga i ude ya tsu ri gu o tsuka tte omo i mono o tsu ri a ge ta ri hako n da ri su ru ki kai

Word origin

クレーン (kurēn) comes from English crane, ultimately from a word for the crane bird; the machine sense arose from the resemblance between the bird's neck and the machine's arm.

Usage tips

  • The machine sense of crane appears in everyday English in compounds such as tower crane and container crane.

Word lists with this word