noun
ship; boat; watercraft; vessel; seaplane
Only when written 船 / 舟
Broad word for a vehicle or craft that travels on water. 船 is the general spelling; 舟 often suggests a small or hand-propelled boat. The seaplane meaning is a limited extension; 水上機 is the clearer modern term for a seaplane.
港に大きな船が入ってきた。
A large ship came into the port.
川を小さな舟で渡っ
We crossed the river in a small boat.
noun
Less common as an independent everyday word. This sense appears in compounds such as 湯船 for a bathtub and in specialized contexts where 槽 may be read ふね for a vat or trough.
寒い日は湯船にゆっくりつかりたい。
On cold days, I want to soak leisurely in the bathtub.
酒を搾るための槽を、現場では「ふね」と呼ぶことがある。
In some workplaces, the vat used for pressing sake is called a fune.
noun, used as a suffix, counter
counter for boat-shaped containers
Only when written 船 / 舟
A narrow suffix and counter for boat-shaped serving containers, especially sashimi platters such as 舟盛り. It is not the usual counter for actual boats; boats are commonly counted with 隻 or 艘.
宴会で刺身の舟盛りを二舟頼んだ。
At the banquet, we ordered two boat-shaped platters of sashimi.
Hiragana is practical in children's writing, kana-heavy text, or when avoiding a kanji choice; standard adult writing usually uses 船 or 舟.
A rare or specialized spelling for the tank, vat, tub, or trough sense.
A more formal or technical word for vessels and ships; unlike 船, it is not used for tubs or boat-shaped serving containers.
A loanword usually referring to a small boat, rowboat, or recreational boat; 船 is broader and can include large ships.
The ordinary modern word for a tank; ふね in the tank or vat sense is limited to compounds or specialized contexts.
ふね is a native Japanese word. 船 and 舟 are conventional kanji spellings associated with watercraft, while 槽 is used for the vat or trough sense; the exact historical derivation is uncertain.