自動車, with the split definition from English's "automobile"[avto = Greek, romanized incorrectly as "auto"! + "mobile" is from the Latin word meaning "move".], which is "avtokinesis", means "self-move" by combining two Greek words. Since 自動車 doesn't exist in Chinese, it's safe to say that it's a Japanese invented word.
So, in essence, they are the same, IF AND ONLY IF 車, means "wagon" [this English word is from German "wagen", meaning "car"], or "car" and not "cart" or "vehicle"!
I think 自動車 and 車 have the same meaning, strictly speaking of course there are a bit difference, but we usually use 車 instead of 自動車 in both formal and informal situations.
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車, taken from Chinese, means "car".
自動 = "self-moving"/"automatic" in Chinese.
自動車, with the split definition from English's "automobile"[avto = Greek, romanized incorrectly as "auto"! + "mobile" is from the Latin word meaning "move".], which is "avtokinesis", means "self-move" by combining two Greek words. Since 自動車 doesn't exist in Chinese, it's safe to say that it's a Japanese invented word.
So, in essence, they are the same, IF AND ONLY IF 車, means "wagon" [this English word is from German "wagen", meaning "car"], or "car" and not "cart" or "vehicle"!
I think 自動車 and 車 have the same meaning, strictly speaking of course there are a bit difference, but we usually use 車 instead of 自動車 in both formal and informal situations.
The first one reads as "jidousha" and means "automatic car." The second reads as "kuruma" and simply means "car."
They read:
自動車: Jidosha
車: Kuruma
They mean:
自動車: Automotive / Motorcar
車: Car
Used in a context:
自動車ショー: Automotive Show
車を運転しますか。: Do you drive a car?