小路|こうじkouji[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounlane; alley
   その町まちには狭せまい小路こうじが多おおい。↗

   The town has many narrow lanes.

• Synonym小道こみちNeutralA general word for narrow paths, including ones through fields and mountains. 「小路」 usually means a narrow street in town and often appears in place names.
• Synonym路地ろじNeutralA narrow alley between buildings; the most common everyday word. 「小路」 sounds more old-fashioned, refers to narrow town streets, and appears in place names.
• Synonym細道ほそみちNeutralEmphasizes how narrow the path is and can mean a country lane, as in 「奥の細道」; 「小路」 mostly refers to alleys in town.
• Synonym横丁よこちょうNeutralA side street leading off a main road, together with the area along it, often lined with bars and eateries; 「小路」 refers only to the narrow road itself.
• Synonym小径しょうけいWrittenWritten/formal prose for a narrow path, common in literature and garden settings; it can also mean a small diameter, a sense 「小路」 lacks.
• Antonym大通りおおどおりNeutralA wide main street in a city, the opposite of the narrow lane that 「小路」 denotes.
• Antonym広路WrittenWritten/formal prose for a wide road; rarely used, and the opposite of the narrow way 「小路」 refers to.

For an everyday narrow alley use 「路地」; for a side street off a main road use 「横丁」; for a country path use 「小道」 or 「細道」. 「小路」 is somewhat old-fashioned, mainly for narrow streets in town, and often appears in place names.

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

1. (ショウロ、ショウジ、こうじ、こみち) 道幅みちはばが狭せまく、道程どうていも短みじかい道みち。