How to say "road" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 道みちnounThe all-purpose everyday word for a road, path, street or lane — the road in front of you, the way to the station, a country lane. When you simply mean a road or way, start here.
- 通りとおりnounA street in a town — the kind you walk along, often lined with shops, or a busy avenue; familiar from street names. For a city street rather than a country road, this is the word.
- 道路どうろnounA road as a piece of infrastructure: the term of traffic rules, road signs, maps and construction. Fits talk of highways, road conditions and road building more than pointing at the road you are on.
- nounThe borrowed English word. Seldom the word you want for a road itself: it appears almost only inside set loanword expressions, while actual roads are 道 or 道路.
- 街路がいろnounA street viewed as part of town planning — the word of street design and administrative documents rather than everyday talk. For an ordinary street, 道 or 通り is what you want.
Use 道 for a road or way of any kind in everyday speech, 「通り」 for a street in town, 道路 for roads as infrastructure, and reserve 「ロード」 and 街路 for special uses: a loanword and a planning term.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
