<p>潜水艇 = 潜艇 = submarine.</p>
<p>潜航器 = <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submersible" rel="nofollow noreferrer">submersible</a></p>
<p>Difference between Submarine and Submersible:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A submersible is an underwater vehicle that needs to be transported and supported by a larger watercraft or platform. This distinguishes submersibles from submarines, which are self-supporting and capable of prolonged independent operation at sea.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>There are many types of submersibles, including both <strong>human-occupied</strong> vehicles (HOVs) and <strong>uncrewed craft</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The imploded <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_submersible_implosion" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Titan</a> was a human-occupied underwater vehicles (submersible)</p>
<p>The Ukraine's 无人潜航器 are unmanned underwater vehicles (submersible)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-03T16:10:11.177Z
2023-10-03T16:15:52.363Z
2023-10-03T16:15:52.363Z
Tang Ho
<p>Chinese has a very simple grammar. You can pretty much guess the meaning of an unfamiliar term by combining the meaning of the constituent characters.</p>
<p>器 and 机 at the end of a term means it's a machine or device. 潜 is dive or submerge. 航 is voyage. So 潜航器 is a device that moves around underwater.</p>
<p>艇 is a boat. A 潜艇 is an underwater boat, probably first translated from the German term &quot;underwater boat.&quot;</p>
<p>There is really very little difference between 潜航器 and 潜艇. They are more or less interchangable. It's like UAV vs drone.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-04T05:25:25.073Z
2023-10-04T05:25:25.073Z
fat penguin
<p><a href="https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%97%A0%E4%BA%BA%E6%BD%9C%E8%88%AA%E5%99%A8/7180956" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%97%A0%E4%BA%BA%E6%BD%9C%E8%88%AA%E5%99%A8/7180956</a></p>
<p>潜水艇 = 潜艇 = Submarine.</p>
<p>无人潜航器 = Unmanned underwater vehicle. It usually refers to devices that are much smaller than a typical submarine.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-03T14:22:34.330Z
2023-10-03T14:22:34.330Z
user2249675
<p>submarine, also sub-marine, and submersible are both adjectives.</p>
<p>When used as the names of something, they both mean &quot;a craft that can navigate under (sub) the sea (mare)&quot; Hence the Chinese, as Mr Fat Penguin says, very direct, descriptive and simple:</p>
<p>潜: hidden (beneath the surface)<br />
艇: craft<br />
航: navigate</p>
<p>无人潜航器: a craft that can navigate under water without a crew. Such a craft probably does not contain thermonuclear weapons in the form of sea-launched ICBMs! (Cannot be ruled out though!)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-10-04T06:26:02.393Z
2023-10-04T06:26:02.393Z
Pedroski
<p>是意味着乌克兰现在对于克里米亚的这个战术，发生了一些新的改变，呃应该说克里米亚地区的安全形势大幅的恶化，跟乌军战法的更新，有很大关系，首先，乌军，现在的这个从装备的角度讲呢，有很多选择比如说无人机，无人艇和无人潜航器，加上现在的北约援助给乌克兰的，这个远程的战术巡航导弹等等，那么，主要还是要看到就是这各种啊，所谓的无人机...</p>
<p>This is from a news broadcast I listened to today. What is the meaning of 无人潜航器? I think it means unmanned submarine? Then what is the difference between 潜艇 and 潜航器？无人潜艇 vs 无人潜航器？</p>

<translation><meaning><meaning-in-context>
What is the difference between 潜艇 and 潜航器？
# What is the difference between 潜艇 and 潜航器？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-10-03)

是意味着乌克兰现在对于克里米亚的这个战术，发生了一些新的改变，呃应该说克里米亚地区的安全形势大幅的恶化，跟乌军战法的更新，有很大关系，首先，乌军，现在的这个从装备的角度讲呢，有很多选择比如说无人机，无人艇和无人潜航器，加上现在的北约援助给乌克兰的，这个远程的战术巡航导弹等等，那么，主要还是要看到就是这各种啊，所谓的无人机...

This is from a news broadcast I listened to today. What is the meaning of 无人潜航器? I think it means unmanned submarine? Then what is the difference between 潜艇 and 潜航器？无人潜艇 vs 无人潜航器？

**Tags:** translation, meaning, meaning-in-context


---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-10-03. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

潜水艇 = 潜艇 = submarine.

潜航器 = [submersible](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Submersible)

Difference between Submarine and Submersible:

> A submersible is an underwater vehicle that needs to be transported and supported by a larger watercraft or platform. This distinguishes submersibles from submarines, which are self-supporting and capable of prolonged independent operation at sea.

> There are many types of submersibles, including both **human-occupied** vehicles (HOVs) and **uncrewed craft**

The imploded [Titan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_submersible_implosion) was a human-occupied underwater vehicles (submersible)

The Ukraine's 无人潜航器 are unmanned underwater vehicles (submersible)


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2023-10-04. Score: 1

Chinese has a very simple grammar. You can pretty much guess the meaning of an unfamiliar term by combining the meaning of the constituent characters.

器 and 机 at the end of a term means it's a machine or device. 潜 is dive or submerge. 航 is voyage. So 潜航器 is a device that moves around underwater.

艇 is a boat. A 潜艇 is an underwater boat, probably first translated from the German term "underwater boat."

There is really very little difference between 潜航器 and 潜艇. They are more or less interchangable. It's like UAV vs drone.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2023-10-03. Score: 1

<https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E6%97%A0%E4%BA%BA%E6%BD%9C%E8%88%AA%E5%99%A8/7180956>

潜水艇 = 潜艇 = Submarine.

无人潜航器 = Unmanned underwater vehicle. It usually refers to devices that are much smaller than a typical submarine.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2023-10-04. Score: 0

submarine, also sub-marine, and submersible are both adjectives.

When used as the names of something, they both mean "a craft that can navigate under (sub) the sea (mare)" Hence the Chinese, as Mr username_2 says, very direct, descriptive and simple:

潜: hidden (beneath the surface)  
艇: craft  
航: navigate

无人潜航器: a craft that can navigate under water without a crew. Such a craft probably does not contain thermonuclear weapons in the form of sea-launched ICBMs! (Cannot be ruled out though!)


---

