bullet train

noun

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

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Meanings

nounbullet train (plural bullet trains)

plural bullet trains

  1. A Shinkansen train; a Japanese high-speed rail train.
  2. Any high-speed train which resembles such a train.

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna high-speed passenger train

Similar
bullet
Broader
passenger train
Also see
bullet

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

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

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic شِينْكَانْسِن
  • شِينْكَانْسِن (šinkansen)Japanese high-speed train
Chinese Mandarin 新幹線 /新干线, 子彈火車 /子弹火车
  • 新幹線 /新干线 (xīngànxiàn)Japanese high-speed train
  • 子彈火車 /子弹火车 (zǐdàn huǒchē)Japanese high-speed train
  • 子彈火車 /子弹火车 (zǐdàn huǒchē)high-speed train
  • 高鐵 /高铁 (gāotiě)high-speed train
Danish højhastighedstog
  • højhastighedstoghigh-speed train
Esperanto ŝinkanseno
  • ŝinkansenoJapanese high-speed train
Finnish luotijuna, shinkansen
  • luotijunaJapanese high-speed train
  • shinkansenJapanese high-speed train
  • luotijunahigh-speed train
French shinkansen, train à grande vitesse (TGV)
  • shinkansenJapanese high-speed train
  • train à grande vitesse (TGV)high-speed train
German Shinkansen, Hochgeschwindigkeitszug
  • ShinkansenJapanese high-speed train
  • HochgeschwindigkeitszugJapanese high-speed train
  • Hochgeschwindigkeitszughigh-speed train
  • Superexpresshigh-speed train
Hebrew שינקנסן
  • שינקנסן (shinkansen)Japanese high-speed train
Hindi शिनकानसेन, बुलेट ट्रेन
  • शिनकानसेन (śinkānsen)Japanese high-speed train
  • बुलेट ट्रेन (buleṭ ṭren)high-speed train
Hungarian nagysebességű/szupergyors/szupersebességű vonat/vasút
  • nagysebességű/szupergyors/szupersebességű vonat/vasúthigh-speed train
Japanese 新幹線, 超特急
  • 新幹線 (shinkansen)Japanese high-speed train
  • 超特急 (chōtokkyū)high-speed train
  • 弾丸列車 (dangan ressha)high-speed train
Korean 신칸센, 초특급
  • 신칸센 (sinkansen)Japanese high-speed train
  • 초특급 (choteukgeup)high-speed train
  • 탄환열차 (tanhwanyeolcha)high-speed train
  • 총알열차 (chong'aryeolcha)high-speed train
  • 총알고속열차 (chong'algosogyeolcha)high-speed train
Malay syinkansen, شينکنسين
  • syinkansenJapanese high-speed train
  • شينکنسينJapanese high-speed train
  • syinkansenhigh-speed train
  • شينکنسينhigh-speed train
Portuguese trem-bala, comboio-bala
  • trem-balaJapanese high-speed train
  • comboio-balaJapanese high-speed train
  • trem-balahigh-speed train
  • comboio-balahigh-speed train
Romanian tren de mare viteză
  • tren de mare vitezăhigh-speed train
Russian синкансэ́н, высокоскоростно́й по́езд
  • синкансэ́н (sinkansɛ́n)Japanese high-speed train
  • высокоскоростно́й по́езд (vysokoskorostnój pójezd)Japanese high-speed train
  • высокоскоростно́й по́езд (vysokoskorostnój pójezd)high-speed train
  • суперэкспре́сс (superɛkspréss)high-speed train
Spanish tren de alta velocidad, tren de gran velocidad
  • tren de alta velocidadhigh-speed train
  • tren de gran velocidadhigh-speed train
  • tren balahigh-speed train
  • AVEhigh-speed train
Swedish shinkansen
  • shinkansenJapanese high-speed train
Vietnamese shinkansen
  • shinkansenJapanese high-speed train
Cite this entry
APA

bullet train. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bullet%20train

MLA

“bullet train.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bullet%20train. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bullet train,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bullet%20train.

Source: bullet train on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.