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The movement of people or goods from one place to another, including vehicles, roads, and systems facilitating this movement.
この都市の交通渋滞は深刻です。
Traffic congestion in this city is severe.
公共交通機関を利用しましょう。
Let's use public transportation.
Communication or exchange between people or groups.
両国間の交通が再開されました。
Communication between the two countries has resumed.
Less common in modern usage; often replaced by コミュニケーション (komyunikēshon) in contemporary contexts.
While both mean 'movement' or 'transportation', 交通 emphasizes the infrastructure and systems (e.g., roads, trains) that enable movement, whereas 移動 focuses on the act of moving from one place to another. For example: - 交通: 公共交通機関 (public transportation systems) - 移動: 移動手段 (means of moving, e.g., walking, cycling)
Use 交通 when referring to: - Systems: 公共交通機関 (public transport systems) - Infrastructure: 交通渋滞 (traffic jam), 交通事故 (traffic accident) - Legal/technical contexts: 交通法規 (traffic laws) Avoid using it for abstract communication (use コミュニケーション instead).
From Middle Chinese 通交通 (MC *tʰuŋ|tʰuŋH *kʰowŋ|kʰowŋH), combining 通 (tōng, 'to pass through') and 交 (jiāo, 'to exchange, intersect'). The compound emphasizes both movement and connection.
1. In modern Japanese, 交通 primarily refers to physical transportation systems (vehicles, roads, public transit) rather than abstract communication. For the latter, コミュニケーション (komyunikēshon) is more common. 2. Often used in compound words like 交通機関 (transportation system) or 交通手段 (means of transport). 3. In legal or formal contexts, it can also refer to the 'right of way' or 'traffic flow'.