ショベル

Japanese

ショベル (shoberu): various shovels.

Etymology

Borrowed from English shovel.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ショ​ベル [shóꜜbèrù] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ɕo̞be̞ɾɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

ショベル • (shoberu) 

1. a shovel, especially a larger one
2. an excavator (as a piece of construction equipment)

Usage notes

The term シャベル (shaberu) appears to be the most general term for a shovel used by hand.

The Japanese Industrial Standards define a distinction between ショベル (shoberu) (notably not シャベル (shaberu)) and スコップ (sukoppu), stating that a hand ショベル (shoberu) has a footrest on the back of the blade of the shovel where the user can place their foot for greater leverage, while a スコップ (sukoppu) has no such footrest.

A large shovel as part of construction equipment appears to be more commonly called a ショベル (shoberu).

Synonyms

• シャベル (shaberu): a shovel
• スコップ (sukoppu): a spade, a scoop, a trowel