鉄道（てつどう、tetsudou）
- railway

鉄道 means "railway," "railroad," or "trains" in general. It refers to the system of tracks, trains, and associated infrastructure used for the transportation of passengers and goods. This term encompasses the entire network and the vehicles that run on it. It’s a very common and important word in the context of Japanese transportation.

⚫︎日本の鉄道は安全です。 Translation: Japanese railways are safe. ⚫︎新しい鉄道の路線が開通しました。 Translation: A new railway line has opened. ⚫︎あの鉄道会社は多くの乗客を運びます。 Translation: That railway company carries many passengers.

This word is used in a variety of contexts when discussing trains, train travel, and the railway system. You’d use it when talking about: ⚫︎ Train schedules. ⚫︎ Train lines and routes. ⚫︎ Train stations. ⚫︎ Train companies. ⚫︎ The railway industry. ⚫︎ The construction or maintenance of railways.

⚫︎ The word is typically written with kanji: 鉄道. ⚫︎ The reading is てつどう (hiragana). ⚫︎ There are no other common ways to write this word. ⚫︎ There are no variations in the okurigana.

⚫︎ 列車 (れっしゃ): Train (the vehicle itself) ⚫︎ 電車 (でんしゃ): Electric train (often used for commuter trains) ⚫︎ 線路 (せんろ): Railway track

There aren't direct antonyms, but you could consider related transportation methods: ⚫︎ 飛行機 (ひこうき): Airplane ⚫︎ バス (basu): Bus ⚫︎ 船 (ふね): Ship

東京には、多くの鉄道が走っています。 ・Translation: Many railways run in Tokyo. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the abundance of train lines in Tokyo.

週末は、鉄道が混み合います。 ・Translation: The railway is crowded on weekends. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that trains can be busy, especially on the weekends.

The word 鉄道 is a compound word. ⚫︎ 鉄 (てつ) means "iron" or "steel," referring to the material of the tracks. ⚫︎ 道 (どう) means "road," "path," or "way." So, 鉄道 literally means "iron road" or "steel road".