rickshaw

Where does the word "rickshaw" come from? It comes from Japanese jinrikisha, and was adopted directly into English (1800s).

Rickshaw’s story begins in Japanese: jinrikisha meant “a human-pulled cart.” Literally "human-powered vehicle" (jin "person" + riki "power" + sha "vehicle"). It reached English by 1800s as rickshaw. Shortened and adapted from the Japanese term, spreading widely in South Asia. Today, rickshaw means a small, two- or three-wheeled vehicle for carrying passengers, pulled or pedaled by a driver.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · 1869 jinrikisha "a human-pulled cart", literally "human-powered vehicle" (jin "person" + riki "power" + sha "vehicle").
2. Stage 2 · English · 1800s rickshaw "a small, two-wheeled passenger cart", shortened and adapted from the Japanese term, spreading widely in South Asia.