How to say "railroad" in Japanese

• 鉄道てつどうJLPT N3approx.Common
  nounCovers 'railroad' in the sense of rail transport as a whole — the railroad as a system or means of travel. Use it when talking about railroads in general rather than the physical rails.
  我々われわれは鉄道てつどう施設しせつの契約けいやくをした。↗

  We were contracted to build a railway.
• 線路せんろJLPT N2approx.Common
  nounPrimarily means the railway track or line — the rails a train runs on. As a translation of 'railroad' it fits when English refers to the tracks themselves; for the transport system, use 鉄道 instead.
  ポーターはしばしば線路せんろを歩あるいて渡わたらなければならない。↗

  Porters often have to walk across the tracks.

Use 鉄道 for the railroad as a transport system or means of travel, and 線路 when you mean the tracks themselves — the rails a train runs on.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 鉄道てつどうrailroad
• 線路せんろrailway track
• 鉄路てつろrailroad
• レールロードrailroad