What do you call that?
Well, that was funny. At the Christmas Eve service, we met a young mother we know, and her two boys, about five and three years old. Mitsuko had bought a present for them, four little play trucks. The boys had a great time playing with them. But the mother asked me what they were called in English. Which is when I realized I wasn't sure!
I recognized the dump truck. But the one with panels? I guess maybe it's a container truck, but I'm not sure. The one with a power shovel might be a backhoe, but I'm really guessing. Then there is the one with a large shovel across the front? Not a forklift...
The boys, of course, knew the Japanese for each kind, and gleefully tried to teach me. Too bad I couldn't return the favor.