Word
徒歩
Meaning in Englishwalking, going on foot
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
on foot; 徒歩 means traveling by foot rather than by vehicle, used to describe walking as a mode of transportation in Japanese. It emphasizes walking as the chosen means of movement and is common in travel, signage, and formal writing when specifying how someone moves.
Main meanings
- primary meaning: the act of traveling by foot rather than by vehicle
- nuances and uses: used to distinguish walking from other transportation modes in schedules, routes, and directions
- formal usage: appears in official documents and travel guides to indicate walking as the intended mode
How to use it
Used in contexts where motion by foot is relevant: signage for walking routes, travel itineraries, and descriptive writing. Formal or neutral tone; in everyday speech it is less common compared with more generic terms for walking; primarily appears in writing, official materials, and signage.
Variants and close terms
- 歩行 (hokou) – walking; the act of moving by foot
- 歩くこと (arukukoto) – the act of walking
- 車移動 (kuruma idou) – movement by car, antonym
Composition
- 徒: contributes the notion of performing the action personally or by foot in compounds and emphasizes the human agent in movement
- 歩: the core kanji for walking, meaning step or gait
- Composed meaning: together they form 徒歩, the noun that denotes movement by foot or walking
Word class
Noun (名詞)