歩く
aruku[a̠ɾɯ̟kɯ̟]
To walk in Japanese is 歩く (aruku).
The verb 歩く is used to describe the physical act of moving on one's feet. In a different context, specifically regarding baseball, the English term 'walk' can be expressed as 四球 or フォアボール to refer to walking a batter. Additionally, the noun 徒歩 is used to refer to the distance walked or the mode of traveling on foot.
Meaning: to move on the feet (verb)
Which one should you use?
While 歩く refers to the physical act of walking, the verb 走る is used when the movement is running.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The polite form of 歩く is 歩きます. To express the past tense, use 歩いた and to express the negative (do not walk or will not walk), use 歩かない.
How do you pronounce it?
aruku
Did you know?
- The kanji used in 歩く is composed of two identical characters for 'feet' placed side by side, visually representing the rhythmic motion of legs moving together.
- When discussing 'walking' in a spiritual or metaphorical sense, such as 'walking the path of life', Japanese often uses 歩む (ayumu) instead of 歩く.
- In certain Japanese martial arts, the way you 'walk' or shift your weight is called 足運び (ashihakobi), which translates to 'foot carrying' rather than 'walking'.
Examples in context
- 歩くと遠いですか。Is it too far to walk?This sentence uses 歩く to ask about the distance of a walk.Tatoeba #83205 by small_snow, translation #320512 by CK
- 彼は歩くつもりだ。He will walk.This sentence uses 歩く to express an intention to walk.Tatoeba #100084 by bunbuku, translation #303613 by CK
- 芝生の上を歩くな。Don't walk on the grass.This sentence uses 歩く to issue a command not to walk on the grass.Tatoeba #149265 by small_snow, translation #265293 by CK
- 彼は公園を歩いています。He is walking in the park.
- 東京駅まで歩いて行きます。I will walk to Tokyo Station.
- 私たちは歩いて学校に行きます。We walk to school.
- 昨日、公園で散歩したよ。I took a walk in the park yesterday.
- 散歩しながら音楽を聴くのが好きです。I enjoy listening to music while walking.
- 散歩に行こうか？Shall we go for a walk?
- 66 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are deciding how to get to the station.
- 蓮 Ren駅まで歩く？Eki made aruku?Shall we walk to the station?
- 美咲 Misakiいいえ、バスで行きましょう。Iie, basu de ikimashou.No, let's go by bus.
- 蓮 Renでも、天気がいいから歩きたいな。Demo, tenki ga ii kara arukitai na.But the weather is nice, so I want to walk.
- 美咲 Misakiわかった。じゃあ、歩こう。Wakatta. Jaa, arukou.All right. Let's walk then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “walk” translations and entries 歩く, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
