走る
公園を走る人が多いです。
Many people run in the park.
To move swiftly on foot by alternately lifting and setting down each foot in turn, never having both feet off the ground at once.
彼は毎日5キロ走る。
He runs 5 kilometers every day.
子供たちは校庭を走り回った。
The children ran around the schoolyard.
Can be used literally (physical running) or metaphorically (e.g., trains 'running' on tracks, programs 'running' on a computer).
Of vehicles or machinery: to operate or function.
この列車は時速200キロで走る。
This train runs at 200 kilometers per hour.
エンジンが走っている。
The engine is running.
Often used for trains, buses, or engines. Less common for cars in modern usage.
Of liquids or substances: to flow rapidly.
川の水が激しく走っている。
The river water is flowing rapidly.
Less common than the primary sense but still used in literary or descriptive contexts.
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Conjugation
走る is a Godan (五段) verb with irregular conjugation: 走る (hashiru) → 走らない (hashiranai), 走った (hoshitta), 走れば (hashireba). The te-form is 走って (hashitte).
Gold Rule
Transitivity
走る is always intransitive. To express 'run a race' or 'run a business,' use transitive verbs like 競走する or 経営する.
Word Origin
From Old Japanese *pasi- (to run), related to the verb 走る (hashiru). The kanji 走 was originally a pictogram of a person running, later standardized to its current form.
Usage Notes
走る is the most common verb for 'run' in Japanese. It is intransitive and does not take a direct object (e.g., 'run a race' is 競走する or 競走に出る). For transitive uses (e.g., 'run a business'), use 経営する or 営む.