搭乗員

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 搭乗員 is read as とうじょういん and is a noun for a crew member aboard an aircraft, spacecraft, or similar vehicle.
• Basic usage: Crew composition appears in 搭乗員が三人いる, while a safety check appears in 搭乗員の安全を確認する.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Individual and group
  • It can denote one crew member or, depending on context, the crew aboard the craft as a group.
• Difference from 乗客
  • 乗客 is a passenger traveling in the vehicle; 搭乗員 performs operational or assigned duties aboard it.