How to say "walk" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 歩くあるくgodan verb, intransitive verbThe basic verb for moving on foot: use it whenever you simply mean that someone walks — to school, to the station, around town — rather than taking a stroll.
- 散歩さんぽnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbA walk taken as an end in itself — a stroll for pleasure, as in a park or around the neighborhood. It names the outing, not simply the act of getting somewhere on foot.
- 歩むあゆむgodan verb, intransitive verbTo walk with a deliberate, step-by-step feel; it is also used figuratively for the way a life or a history unfolds. For simply getting somewhere on foot it is seldom the word you want.
- 遊歩ゆうほnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbSeldom the word you want for 'walk': it is really a word for a stroll or promenade — walking taken as leisurely pleasure — rather than for getting somewhere on foot.
- 歩行ほこうnoun, suru verb, intransitive verbA noun for walking as an act or function rather than a stroll: it suits contexts that describe how someone walks, and it is not the verb you use to say someone walked somewhere.
Use 「歩く」 for walking somewhere on foot, 散歩 for a stroll taken for pleasure, 「歩む」 for deliberate or figurative walking, and 歩行 for walking as an act; 遊歩, a promenade word, is seldom what you need.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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