Skip to content
道Nihongo Path

Word 1723 of 2252

Save Sign in to track

機関

きかん

institution, organization, agency; engine, machinery

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 台風で交通機関が止まってしまった。

    たいふうでこうつうきかんがとまってしまった。

    Public transport stopped because of the typhoon.

  2. 姉は政府の機関で働いています。

    あねはせいふのきかんではたらいています。

    My older sister works for a government agency.

  3. 息子は機関車の絵本が大好きだ。

    むすこはきかんしゃのえほんがだいすきだ。

    My son loves picture books about locomotives.

Common patterns

交通機関
means of transport
金融機関
financial institution
機関車
locomotive

Memory tip

One word for an institution and for an engine — in both cases it is "the mechanism that makes something run". Learners meet it first in 交通機関, the standard word for buses and trains taken together.

Kanji in this word

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 2 of 5

What does 機関 mean?