旅 — Travel, Journey, Trip

Meaning

旅 means travel, journey, or trip. It describes the act of leaving familiar surroundings and heading somewhere distant — whether for leisure, business, pilgrimage, or simply wandering. In modern Japanese, 旅 tends to feel more poetic and personal than the neutral, everyday term 旅行 (ryokō). When someone says 旅たび on its own, they're often gesturing at something beyond logistics — the feeling of freedom, nostalgia, or quiet discovery that travel brings.

Etymologically, 旅 comes from ancient Chinese oracle bone script. The original character depicted a banner or flag (方) with people moving beneath it — like soldiers or travelers marching together under a shared emblem. That image of collective movement gave rise to the meaning of journey. Over centuries, the military connotation faded, and the character settled into its modern sense of peaceful travel and exploration.

旅 has 10 strokes and is taught in Grade 3 of Japanese elementary school. Its radical is 方 (ほう), which appears in the upper-left portion of the character. 方 is associated with direction and, by extension, going somewhere — a fitting root for a kanji about travel.

Readings

On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings

The on'yomi reading is リョ (RYO). It comes from the ancient Chinese pronunciation and appears mainly in compound words (熟語, jukugo). This reading shows up in some of the most common travel-related vocabulary in Japanese.

旅行りょこう (ryokō) — travel, trip, tour (the everyday word for "travel")
旅館りょかん (ryokan) — traditional Japanese inn
旅券りょけん (ryoken) — passport (literally "travel certificate")
旅費りょひ (ryohi) — travel expenses
旅客りょかく (ryokaku) — passenger, traveler (formal usage)

Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings

The kun'yomi reading is たび (tabi) — the native Japanese word for journey. Used as a standalone noun and in compound expressions, たび has a warmer, more intimate tone than the on'yomi forms. You'll hear it in casual speech, poetry, and literature whenever someone wants to convey the personal side of travel rather than its administrative reality.

旅たび (tabi) — journey, trip (standalone noun)
旅人たびびと (tabibito) — traveler, wanderer, wayfarer
旅立ちたびだち (tabidachi) — setting off on a journey, departure
旅先たびさき (tabisaki) — destination, place one is traveling to

Common Words & Compounds

旅 appears in a wide range of compounds — spanning tourism, transportation, culture, and daily conversation. Here are some of the most useful ones, grouped by theme.

Travel & Tourism

旅行りょこう (ryokō) — travel, trip, tour
旅行者りょこうしゃ (ryokōsha) — traveler, tourist
旅行代理店りょこうだいりてん (ryokō dairi-ten) — travel agency
海外旅行かいがいりょこう (kaigai ryokō) — overseas travel, international trip
修学旅行しゅうがくりょこう (shūgaku ryokō) — school excursion, field trip

Accommodation & Logistics

旅館りょかん (ryokan) — traditional Japanese inn
旅費りょひ (ryohi) — travel expenses
旅券りょけん (ryoken) — passport
旅客機りょかくき (ryokakuki) — passenger airplane

Poetic & Literary Expressions

旅人たびびと (tabibito) — wanderer, wayfarer
旅立ちたびだち (tabidachi) — departure on a journey
旅先たびさき (tabisaki) — travel destination
旅路たびじ (tabiji) — one's journey, the road ahead

Example Sentences

来月、家族かぞくと旅行りょこうに行いく予定よていです。

Raigetsu, kazoku to ryokō ni iku yotei desu.

I'm planning to go on a trip with my family next month.

旅館りょかんに泊とまって、温泉おんせんに入はいりました。

Ryokan ni tomatte, onsen ni hairimashita.

I stayed at a traditional inn and soaked in the hot spring.

旅費りょひを節約せつやくするために、バスで行いきました。

Ryohi wo setsuyaku suru tame ni, basu de ikimashita.

To save on travel expenses, I took the bus.

修学旅行しゅうがくりょこうで京都きょうとに行いったことがあります。

Shūgaku ryokō de Kyōto ni itta koto ga arimasu.

I've been to Kyoto on a school excursion.

旅たびに出でる前まえに、旅券りょけんの期限きげんを確認かくにんしてください。

Tabi ni deru mae ni, ryoken no kigen wo kakunin shite kudasai.

Before you set off, check your passport's expiration date.

この旅行者りょこうしゃは地図ちずを見みながら歩あるいていました。

Kono ryokōsha wa chizu wo minagara aruite imashita.

The traveler walked along, map in hand.

一人旅ひとりたびは自由じゆうで、とても楽たのしいです。

Hitori tabi wa jiyū de, totemo tanoshii desu.

Solo travel is freeing and a lot of fun.

海外旅行かいがいりょこうをするとき、旅行代理店りょこうだいりてんに相談そうだんしました。

Kaigai ryokō wo suru toki, ryokō dairi-ten ni sōdan shimashita.

When planning an overseas trip, I went to a travel agency for advice.

旅立ちたびだちの日ひ、駅えきまで見送りみおくりに来きてくれました。

Tabidachi no hi, eki made miokuri ni kite kuremashita.

On the day I left, they came all the way to the station to see me off.

旅たびは、人生じんせいで最もっとも大切たいせつな経験けいけんの一つです。

Tabi wa, jinsei de mottomo taisetsu na keiken no hitotsu desu.

Travel is one of the most valuable experiences in life.

Related Kanji

病 — Sickness, Illness, Disease (Kanji N4)
便 — Convenience, Facility, Communication (Kanji N4)
飯 — Meal, Cooked Rice, Food (Kanji N4)
待 — Wait, Await, Expect (Kanji N4)
昼 — Daytime, Noon, Midday (Kanji N4)
服 — Clothing, Obedience, and Medicine (Kanji N4)

Memory Tip

Picture a group of people marching beneath a banner — that's the 方 component at the top of 旅. In ancient times, travelers and soldiers moved together under flags so no one got separated. The flag marked the journey. Every time you spot the 方 shape at the top, imagine it waving in the wind as a group sets off down the road.

The lower portion of the character shows figures following that banner, reinforcing the sense of movement and travel. For Vietnamese learners: connect it to the Hán-Việt reading LỮ — as in lữ hành (hành trình, du lịch) — which shares the same character and meaning from classical Chinese.