運賃（うんちん、unchiん）
- fare

The Japanese word 運賃 means "fare," "transportation cost," or "shipping charges." It refers to the money you pay to use a form of transportation, such as a train, bus, ship, or airplane. It can also apply to the cost of shipping goods. The word encompasses the price associated with the movement of people or items from one place to another.

⚫︎電車の運賃 Translation: Train fare ⚫︎船の運賃が高い。 Translation: The ship fare is expensive. ⚫︎運賃を支払う。 Translation: To pay the fare.

You use 運賃 when discussing the cost of travel or shipping. It's used in various contexts, including buying train tickets, checking the price of a bus ride, or inquiring about the charges for sending a package. It is a common word, and useful in daily life.

運賃 is typically written in kanji as 運賃. The reading is うんちん in hiragana. There is no other common way to write this word. The okurigana is standard.

⚫︎料金 (りょうきん) - Fee, charge. This is a more general term that could include fares, but also fees for services. ⚫︎交通費 (こうつうひ) - Transportation expenses. This term is broader and encompasses all costs associated with transportation. ⚫︎運送料 (うんそうりょう) - Shipping charges. This specifically relates to the cost of shipping goods.

There aren't direct antonyms for 運賃 in the way one might think of opposites. However, concepts related to receiving something free of charge or paying nothing could be seen as the opposite in a practical sense.

東京から大阪までの新幹線の運賃はいくらですか？ ・Translation: How much is the Shinkansen (bullet train) fare from Tokyo to Osaka? ・Explanation: This sentence directly asks about the price of a train ticket for a specific journey.

この荷物の運賃は重量によって変わります。 ・Translation: The shipping charges for this package vary depending on its weight. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the use of 運賃 in the context of shipping, highlighting that the cost is determined by the weight of the goods.

The word 運賃 is a compound word. 運 (うん) means "transport" or "carry," and 賃 (ちん) means "fare," "charge," or "rent." Therefore, 運賃 combines the concepts of transport and payment, literally meaning "transport fare."