Translation guide
The English word 'pickup' has many meanings. This guide covers the most common ones for learners: collecting something or someone, a vehicle's acceleration, a casual romantic encounter, and a type of truck.
Expressing the act of going to get a person or thing and bringing it back, or the scheduled collection itself.
Used for picking up a person, often from a station, airport, etc. Can be used as a noun or part of a verb phrase.
I'll go to the airport to pick you up.
The pickup car has arrived.
Refers to receiving or picking up an item, such as a package, ticket, or order. Often used at counters or in instructions.
Package pickup is over here.
You can pick up items ordered online at the store.
Specifically used for collection of goods by a delivery service. Common in logistics and online shopping contexts.
I requested a pickup (of the package).
The pickup time is in the morning.
Means collection or retrieval, often for recycling, waste, or recovering items. More formal than 受け取り.
You need to book a pickup for large waste items.
Loanword from English, used in some contexts like 'pickup order' or 'pickup service', but less natural than native terms in many situations.
Please proceed with the pickup procedure.
Describing how quickly a car or other vehicle can increase speed.
General term for acceleration. Can be used as a noun or verb (加速する).
This car has good pickup.
Refers specifically to initial acceleration from a stop, like 'off-the-line' pickup. Common in car reviews.
Sometimes used in car contexts as a loanword, but 加速 is much more common and natural.
Referring to meeting someone with the aim of starting a casual romantic or sexual relationship, often in a bar or club setting.
The most common term for hitting on someone or picking someone up, usually a man approaching a woman. Can be used as a noun or verb (ナンパする).
He picked up a girl at the club.
I don't really like pickup attempts.
Short for 逆ナンパ, meaning a woman picking up a man. Less common but widely understood.
Means to woo or seduce someone, often with sweet talk. More about the act of persuasion than the pickup itself.
Slang for picking someone up, often with a nuance of tricking or trapping. Can be seen as negative.
Can sound crude or predatory. Use with care.
Referring to the type of vehicle with an open rear cargo area.
The standard term for a pickup truck. Often shortened to ピックアップ in context.
I bought a new pickup truck.
Generic word for truck. Can refer to a pickup if context is clear, but usually implies a larger commercial truck.
Without context, トラック usually means a larger truck, not a personal pickup.
While ピックアップ is a loanword, it is not universally natural. For collecting people, use 迎え; for packages, use 受け取り or 集荷. Overusing ピックアップ can sound unnatural or overly English-like.
迎え is for people, 受け取り is for receiving items (often at a counter), and 集荷 is specifically for collection by a delivery service. Choose based on what is being picked up and the situation.
Pickup performance on highways is important.
The pickup from a standstill is smooth.
This engine has good pickup.
Apparently she picked up a guy at the bar.
彼は甘い言葉で彼女を口説いた。
He picked her up with sweet words.
He picked up another girl again.
That pickup has a wide bed.