Meaning
passenger; rider
Nuance & Usage
乗客 refers to a passenger on a train, bus, airplane, or other vehicle. It is a formal word often heard in announcements (乗客の皆様 — Ladies and gentlemen, passengers...). Related: 乗り物 (norimono — vehicle/conveyance), 乗る (noru — to board/ride). On airplanes, the more formal 旅客 (ryokaku) is used: 旅客機 (ryokakuki — passenger aircraft). In trains, 満員 (man'in — full/maximum capacity) combined with 乗客 creates 乗客が多い (many passengers), describing crowded trains.
Common Mistakes
Learners sometimes confuse 乗客 (joukyaku — passenger on a vehicle) with 客 (kyaku — customer/guest in general) or 旅行者 (ryokousha — traveler). 乗客 is specifically someone riding a vehicle. Train announcements use phrases like 乗客の皆様にご案内いたします (We have an announcement for our passengers). The particle used with 乗客: 乗客のために (for passengers), 乗客に (to passengers).
Example Sentences
台風の影響で電車が止まり、多くの乗客が困っていました。
たいふうのえいきょうででんしゃがとまり、おおくのじょうきゃくがこまっていました。
The trains stopped due to the typhoon, and many passengers were in trouble.
この電車は混んでいて、乗客がぎゅうぎゅう詰めです。
このでんしゃはこんでいて、じょうきゃくがぎゅうぎゅうづめです。
This train is crowded, with passengers packed in tightly.
乗客の皆様にご案内申し上げます。
じょうきゃくのみなさまにごあんないもうしあげます。
We have an announcement for all passengers.
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