旅行
ryokō[ɾʲo̞ko̞ː]
To travel in Japanese is 旅行 (ryokō).
The term 旅行 is a general word for travel or a trip. While it can function as a noun meaning 'the act of traveling', it is also used to describe the verb 'to travel'. A very common way to express the act of traveling is to use the phrase 旅行に行く, which means 'to go on a trip'. Note that if you are specifically referring to the speed at which a vehicle like a ship or airplane is traveling, you should use 航速 instead.
Meaning: be on a journey (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 旅行 refers to general travel or trips, the word 旅 is often used for more poetic, profound or long-term journeys.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To use the noun 旅行 as a verb meaning 'to travel', you must add the verb する to create 旅行する.
How do you pronounce it?
ryokō
Did you know?
- In Japan, the tradition of お土産 (omiyage) makes 'travel' a social obligation to bring back region-specific snacks for coworkers and family.
- The characters in 旅行 literally mean 'to travel' and 'to walk', reflecting the ancient view of travel as a physical act of walking.
- Japanese has a specific word, 一人旅 (hitoritabi), for solo travel that carries a connotation of independence and self-discovery.
Examples in context
- 旅行は好き？Do you like to travel?This sentence shows how to use 旅行 to ask about someone's preference for traveling.Tatoeba #3309201 by tommy_san, translation #325529 by CK
- 旅行は楽しい。It's fun to travel.This sentence uses 旅行 to describe the enjoyment of traveling.Tatoeba #78158 by bunbuku, translation #325560 by CK
- 私はよく旅行する。I travel a lot.This sentence uses 旅行する to describe the frequency of one's travels.Tatoeba #3552045 by arnab, translation #2549662 by CK
- わたしは夏休みに旅行に行きます。I will go on a trip during summer vacation.
- 夏休みに旅行する予定がある？Do you have any plans to travel during summer vacation?
- 旅に出る前に準備がたくさんあるよね。There's a lot of preparation before embarking on a journey, right?
- 130 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are talking about their summer plans.
- 美咲 Misaki夏休みは旅行しますか？Natsuyasumi wa ryokō shimasu ka?Will you travel during summer vacation?
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、北海道に旅行します。Hai, Hokkaidō ni ryokō shimasu.Yes, I will travel to Hokkaido.
- 美咲 Misakiいいですね！誰と旅行しますか？Ii desu ne! Dare to ryokō shimasu ka?That's nice! Who are you traveling with?
- 大翔 Hiroto家族と一緒に旅行します。Kazoku to issho ni ryokō shimasu.I will travel with my family.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 旅行, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 旅行, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
