train; electric train
Refers to an electric multiple-unit train, typically running on rails, as opposed to steam or diesel trains. In everyday Japanese, it is the general word for a train, especially within urban and suburban areas.
毎朝、電車で通勤しています。
I commute by train every morning.
この電車は新宿駅に止まりますか。
Does this train stop at Shinjuku Station?
I take the seven o'clock train every morning.
Please get off the train at the next station.
I go to work by train.
The train is delayed because of an accident.
I change trains at Shinjuku.
The train will arrive soon.
電車 is the general word for any electric train, whereas 新幹線 refers specifically to the bullet train system.
電車 is an electric train made of self-propelled cars, whereas 機関車 is the separate locomotive that hauls unpowered cars.
電車 refers to the electric train itself or its service, while 電鉄 refers to the railway system or company that operates it.
last train of the day
train fare