Seibishi 3kyu › Car mechanic vocabulary

Japanese car mechanic vocabulary for the Class 3 test

The Class 3 test is written in Japanese without furigana. Knowing the readings and meanings of the most common words in advance is the fastest way to read items in time.

Last updated: 2026-10-19

Work words

These words appear across all three subjects. Readings are in hiragana.

Word	Reading	Vietnamese	English
点検	てんけん	kiểm tra	inspection
整備	せいび	bảo dưỡng	maintenance
分解	ぶんかい	tháo rời	disassembly
組立て	くみたて	lắp ráp	assembly
締付け	しめつけ	siết chặt	tightening
交換	こうかん	thay thế	replacement
測定	そくてい	đo	measurement
摩耗	まもう	mòn	wear
緩み	ゆるみ	độ lỏng	looseness
漏れ	もれ	rò rỉ	leak
異音	いおん	tiếng kêu lạ	abnormal noise
振れ	ふれ	độ đảo	runout
隙間	すきま	khe hở	clearance
冷却水	れいきゃくすい	nước làm mát	coolant
潤滑	じゅんかつ	bôi trơn	lubrication
燃焼室	ねんしょうしつ	buồng đốt	combustion chamber
圧縮	あっしゅく	nén	compression
排気	はいき	khí xả	exhaust
電圧	でんあつ	điện áp	voltage
抵抗	ていこう	điện trở	resistance
比重	ひじゅう	tỷ trọng	specific gravity

Part	Vietnamese	English
シリンダ・ヘッド	nắp máy	cylinder head
ピストン	pít-tông	piston
クランクシャフト	trục khuỷu	crankshaft
カムシャフト	trục cam	camshaft
ラジエータ	két nước làm mát	radiator
サーモスタット	van hằng nhiệt	thermostat
オイル・ポンプ	bơm dầu	oil pump
オルタネータ	máy phát điện	alternator
スタータ	máy khởi động	starter motor
クラッチ	ly hợp	clutch
ディファレンシャル	bộ vi sai	differential
ブレーキ・パッド	má phanh đĩa	brake pad
ショック・アブソーバ	giảm chấn	shock absorber

Words in the question itself

適切てきせつなもの: the correct or appropriate one. 不適切ふてきせつなもの: the incorrect one.
次つぎのうちどれか: which of the following.
記述きじゅつ: statement. 組くみ合あわせ: combination (pick the right pair of words).
一般いっぱんに: generally. 必かならず: always (often a sign of a wrong option).
大おおきくなる / 小ちいさくなる: becomes larger / smaller. 高たかい / 低ひくい: high / low.

How to learn words effectively

Learn words in chunks rather than single characters: 圧縮圧力あっしゅくあつりょく (compression pressure), 冷却水温れいきゃくすいおん (coolant temperature), 点火時期てんかじき (ignition timing). Class 3 items join kanji into long compounds; if you know the parts you can guess new words.

Every time you miss an item because of a word, copy it into a notebook with its reading and meaning. After two or three papers you have your own list for your subject. In the app, turn furigana on when you meet a new word and off on the second read.

Katakana part names

Part names are usually katakana with a middle dot (・) between words: クランク・シャフト, ブレーキ・パッド. Class 3 texts often drop the final long vowel: バッテリ (not バッテリー), ラジエータ, モータ. See the full table by group at car parts names in Japanese.

The dictionary in the app

Seibishi 3kyu has a 2,520-entry dictionary in 9 groups: engine, electrical, chassis, body, tools and measuring, materials and fluids, inspection and service, basics and units, and common exam words. Looking words up is free for everyone.

VIP unlocks papers 4 to 20 in all three subjects (51 papers), the per-item tips and the detailed explanations for missed items. VIP is bought inside the iOS app with Apple payment, and Apple shows the price. The App Store version is coming soon. You can try the free exams on the web now.

FAQ

How many words do I need for Class 3?

There is no official number. Start with work words (点検, 交換, 測定 and so on) and the part names for your subject, then add the words from items you miss.

Do I need to learn katakana part names?

Yes. Most part names are katakana loanwords from English written the Japanese way, such as シリンダ・ヘッド and ディファレンシャル. Saying them aloud a few times helps.

Does the app have a dictionary?

Yes. The app has a parts and terms dictionary of 2,520 entries; looking up the Japanese word, reading and short meaning is free. Detailed explanations, example sentences, figures and flashcards are VIP.

Take a 30-item mock paper and see right away which items you missed and why.

Try it free now

Papers 1–3 of every subject are free, with furigana. Opens in your browser, no sign-up.