Word
急行
Meaning in Englishexpress train or bus
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Sentence
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Word context
What it means
急行 means an express train or rapid service. In railway contexts it labels a faster class of passenger service than local trains. The term can also appear as 急行する (kyūkō suru) to mean hurry or hasten.
Main meanings
- Expedited rail service that skips several stops, providing a quicker journey than local trains.
- As a verb phrase 急行する, to hurry or rush, used to express urgency in general contexts.
- Occurs in headlines or notices to denote urgency or rapid action beyond railways.
How to use it
Used in timetables, railway announcements, and formal notices. As a noun it refers to the express train service, and as 急行する it means to hurry or hasten.
Variants and close terms
- 特急 (tokkyū) — limited express
- 普通 (futsū) — local train
- 急行列車 (kyūkō resha) — express train
Composition
- 急: urgent, sudden; speed and immediacy
- 行: go, travel; movement; service when combined forms a travel or movement concept
Etymology
kyū from 急 and kō from 行; combined as kyūkō.
Origin
Meiji period onward; adopted into railway terminology to denote express service faster than local trains.
Word class
Noun (名詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
行き違い
ikichigai
misunderstanding, disagreement
N1
移行
ikou
switching over to
N1
準急
junkyuu
local express (train, slower than an express)
N1
徐行
jokou
going slowly
N1
急かす
sekasu
to hurry, to urge on
N1
早急
soukyuu
urgent
N1
走行
soukou
running a wheeled vehicle (e.g., car, traveling)
N1
修行
shugyou
pursuit of knowledge, training, ascetic practice
N2
～行
～gyou
line, row
Kanji