積荷

• Reading: つみに
• Romaji: tsumini
• Kanji breakdown: 積 (tsumi) — load, pile, stack; 荷 (ni) — cargo, load, burden, baggage
• Pronunciation: /tsɯ.mi.ni/

Meaning

Cargo; freight; load; shipment. The goods loaded onto a ship, aircraft, truck, or other transport vehicle.

A logistics and maritime trade term. 積荷目録 (tsumini mokuroku, cargo manifest) is the official list of goods on a vessel. 積荷保険 (tsumini hoken, cargo insurance) covers goods in transit. The term covers the entire load as a collective noun. In news reports, it often appears in connection with maritime accidents, port operations, customs inspection, or international trade disputes.

Examples

1. 嵐の影響で船が転覆し、大量の積荷が太平洋に流出する事故が発生した。 A storm caused a ship to capsize, resulting in an accident in which a large amount of cargo spilled into the Pacific Ocean.
2. 税関で積荷の内容物が厳しく検査され、通関に予想以上の時間がかかった。 The contents of the cargo were rigorously inspected at customs, causing customs clearance to take longer than expected.
3. 輸送中に積荷の一部が破損していたため、荷主は保険会社に補償を求めた。 As part of the cargo was damaged in transit, the shipper sought compensation from the insurance company.

Usage Guide

Context: logistics, shipping, trade, customs

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 積み (tsumi, loading/stacking, from 積む to load/stack) and 荷 (ni, load/cargo/baggage). The combination of the act of loading and the goods being loaded produces a word that encompasses both the physical cargo and its being aboard a carrier.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji Era

Generation: Adults

Social background: Commercial/Industrial