Translation guide
The word 'gondola' refers to the traditional Venetian boat, but also to cable car cabins, airship compartments, and retail shelving units. This guide covers the most common Japanese equivalents for each meaning.
Venetian boat
Cable car cabin
Airship compartment
Retail shelving unit
The long, narrow, flat-bottomed boat used in the canals of Venice, propelled by a gondolier.
The standard loanword for the Venetian boat. Widely understood.
I rode a gondola in Venice.
An enclosed cabin suspended from a cable, used for transporting passengers, especially in ski resorts or sightseeing.
The most common term for a cable car cabin. Often used in compounds like ゴンドラリフト.
I took the gondola at the ski resort to the top of the mountain.
Refers to a ropeway or aerial lift system, which may include gondola cabins. Sometimes used interchangeably, but technically refers to the whole system.
The passenger compartment or control car suspended beneath an airship or blimp.
Used for the compartment of an airship. Technical term.
We viewed the scenery from the airship's gondola.
A freestanding, often double-sided, shelving unit used in stores to display merchandise.
This ropeway has eight-passenger gondolas.
Please organize the display shelves.