線路
せんろ
senro
Refers to the entire railway track system, including the rails, sleepers, and the ballast bed. While the loanword "レール" (rail) specifically emphasizes the steel bars themselves, "線路" encompasses the path or the route that the train follows.
In practical usage, it is frequently used in safety warnings and official announcements, such as "線路内立ち入り禁止" (Entry into the tracks is prohibited). It describes the physical space where trains operate, and crossing or entering this area without permission is a serious legal and safety violation in Japan.
Unlike some English metaphors involving "tracks" (e.g., "on the right track"), "線路" is rarely used metaphorically in standard Japanese to describe a life path or a course of action; it remains almost exclusively a physical term.
Meanings
The set of parallel steel rails on which a train travels.
線路を歩く。
Walk on the tracks.
Examples
不注意で線路に落ちた。
I fell onto the tracks due to carelessness.
作業員が線路を点検する。
Workers inspect the railway tracks.
この線路は山の中を通っている。
These tracks run through the mountains.
線路の近くで写真を撮った。
I took a photo near the tracks.