Word
地下鉄
Meaning in Englishsubway, underground train
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
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Word context
What it means
What does 地下鉄 mean? It is the subway or underground railway system in a city, a form of rapid transit that primarily operates underground to connect urban areas through tunnels and stations.
Main meanings
- Subway system: an urban network of underground rail lines for rapid transit
- Underground railway: trains operating mainly beneath ground level in metropolitan areas
How to use it
Used in formal and casual contexts to refer to urban subway systems; common on maps and signage, in news reporting, and in everyday talk about commuting or travel within a city.
Variants and close terms
- Metro (romaji: metoro) — common signage and loanword usage
- 地下鉄道 (romaji: chikatetsudō) — older term for underground railway
Composition
- 地 ground, earth
- 下 below, under
- 鉄 iron, steel (used in railway terms)
- Together they express an underground railway concept, i.e., a rail system located beneath the surface
Etymology
Formed by abbreviation of 地下鉄道 (underground railway); the final kanji 鉄 is part of railway-related terms and the reading ちかてつ is retained.
Word class
noun (名詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
下地
shitaji
groundwork, foundation
N2
地下水
chikasui
underground water
N3
地下
chika
underground, basement, below ground
N1
見地
kenchi
point of view
N1
現地
genchi
actual place, local
N1
心地
kokochi
feeling, sensation, mood
N1
下痢
geri
diarrhea
N1
農地
nouchi
agricultural land
N1
天地
tenchi
heaven and earth, the universe
Kanji