The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles; a type of human-powered transport; for the transport of persons. Examples of litter vehicles include lectica (ancient Rome); jiao [?] (China); ki?u (Vietnam); sedan chair (England); litera (Spain); palanquin (France and India); liteira (Portugal); wo (??; Chinese style known as kiao ??????) (Thailand); gama (Korea); kago and norimono (Japan) and tahtirevan (Turkey).

Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more men; some being enclosed for protection from the elements. Larger litters; for example those of the Chinese emperors; may resemble small rooms upon a platform borne upon the shoulders of a dozen or more men. To most efficiently carry a litter; porters will attempt to transfer the load to their shoulders; either by placing the carrying poles upon their shoulders; or the use of a yoke to transfer the load from the carrying poles to the shoulder.