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N5Lesson notes · Oct 4, 2026

Walk in Japanese: 歩あるく (aruku), 歩あるいて行いく, 散歩さんぽ and 徒歩とほ explained

"Walk" in Japanese is 歩あるく (aruku), a verb that takes を for the place you walk through: 道みちを歩あるく, "walk along the road."

The word looks easy, and the verb itself is. The trouble is everything around it: whether to say 歩あるく or 歩あるいて行いく, why the place gets を instead of で, and how 散歩さんぽ and 徒歩とほ fit in. This article sorts those out in the order you will actually need them.

The basics

How do you say "walk" in Japanese?

The verb is 歩あるく (あるく). It is a regular う-verb ending in く, so it conjugates the same way as 書かく and 聞きく.

毎日まいにち、歩あるきます。 — I walk every day. (polite, a habit) 昨日きのうはたくさん歩あるいた。 — I walked a lot yesterday. (casual, past) ゆっくり歩あるいてください。 — Please walk slowly. (polite request) 走はしらないで、歩あるいて。 — Don't run, walk. (casual, to a child)

The forms to memorize are 歩あるきます (polite), 歩あるかない (negative), 歩あるいた (past) and 歩あるいて (te-form). The く→いて pattern is the same one you use for 聞きいて and 書かいて. The one irregular verb in this family is 行いく, which becomes 行いって, not 行おこないて.

What is the difference between 歩あるく and 歩あるいて行いく?

歩あるく describes the action of walking. 歩あるいて行いく describes going somewhere, with walking as the way you get there. The second is the one you want when the destination matters.

駅えきまで歩あるきます。 — I walk to the station. (polite, 歩あるく with a destination) 駅えきまで歩あるいて行いきます。 — I go to the station on foot. (polite, means of transport) 歩あるいて帰かえる。 — I'll walk home. (casual, 帰かえる = go home) 友ともだちが歩あるいて来きた。 — My friend came on foot. (casual, 来くる = come)

Both of the first two work for "I walk to the station," and Japanese speakers use them interchangeably most of the time. Use 歩あるいて行いく when you are contrasting walking with another way of travelling (by train, by bus, by bike). If you want to review how 行いく and 来くる pick their direction, see 行いく vs 来くる.

In casual speech 歩あるいて行いく often shrinks to 歩あるいてく, and 歩あるいて行いこう becomes the friendly invitation "let's walk."

Why do you say 道みちを歩あるく and not 道みちで歩あるく?

Because the place here is not where an action happens, it is the ground you move across, and that takes を. で marks the stage where an action takes place (公園こうえんで遊あそぶ, "play in the park"), but 歩あるく is a motion verb, so the route it travels goes with を.

道みちを歩あるく。 — Walk along the road. (casual, the road is what you move through) 公園こうえんを歩あるいた。 — I walked through the park. (casual, past) 橋はしを渡わたって、川かわの横よこを歩あるきます。 — I cross the bridge and walk beside the river. (polite, two motion verbs) 雨あめの中なかを歩あるいて帰かえった。 — I walked home in the rain. (casual, を with a situation you move through)

This is the same を that shows up with 渡わたる (cross), 走はしる (run) and 通とおる (pass). If you want the full picture of what で and に do, で vs に covers it. For 歩あるく the rule is short: if the noun is the path or area you move through, use を.

Where will you hear 歩あるく in daily life?

Everywhere that people talk about distance and effort. It also pairs naturally with the words in 近ちかい and 遠とおい: once you know a place is near, you can say you can walk there.

ここから歩あるいて10分ぷんです。 — It's ten minutes from here on foot. (polite, giving directions) 家いえから学校がっこうまで歩あるいて通とおっています。 — I walk to school from home. (polite, 通かよう = commute regularly) 今日きょうはあまり歩あるきたくない。 — I don't feel like walking much today. (casual, 歩あるきたい)

Beyond the basics

What is 散歩さんぽ, and how is it different from 歩あるく?

散歩さんぽ (さんぽ) is a stroll or walk for pleasure, with no destination that matters. 歩あるく is the physical act. You 歩あるく to get somewhere, and you 散歩さんぽする to enjoy walking.

公園こうえんを散歩さんぽしませんか。 — Shall we take a walk in the park? (polite invitation) 犬いぬの散歩さんぽに行いってくる。 — I'm going to take the dog for a walk. (casual, 行いってくる = go and come back) 朝あさの散歩さんぽが好すきです。 — I like morning walks. (polite, noun use)

散歩さんぽ is a する-verb (散歩さんぽする) and also a plain noun (犬いぬの散歩さんぽ). Notice that 散歩さんぽ also takes を for the place: 公園こうえんを散歩さんぽする. Nobody says 散歩さんぽ for walking to a train station, because there is a purpose.

What does 徒歩とほ mean, and what is 徒歩とほ5分ふん?

徒歩とほ (とほ) means "on foot" and is the written, formal version of 歩あるいて. You read it on signs, in maps, and in property or hotel descriptions, nearly always in the pattern 徒歩とほ + number + 分ふん.

駅えきから徒歩とほ5分ふん。 — Five minutes on foot from the station. (written style, a sign or listing) 会場かいじょうまで徒歩とほ10分ぷんです。 — It's a ten-minute walk to the venue. (polite, 会場かいじょう = venue) 徒歩とほで行いけますか。 — Can I get there on foot? (polite question, 徒歩とほで as the means)

Here で is correct, because 徒歩とほ is a means of transport, not a place you move through. That is a good contrast to remember: 徒歩とほで (means) versus 道みちを (route). In speech people say 歩あるいて5分ふん instead of 徒歩とほ5分ふん.

How do you say "can walk" and "don't want to walk"?

Use the potential form 歩あるける (あるける), "can walk, is able to walk." It also means "is walkable, close enough to walk."

ここから歩あるけますか。 — Can I walk from here? (polite) まだ歩あるけません。 — I can't walk yet. (polite, after an injury, for example) 駅えきまで歩あるける距離きょりです。 — It's a walkable distance to the station. (polite, 距離きょり = distance)

For "don't want to walk," use 歩あるきたくない. For "too far to walk," a natural phrase is 歩あるくには遠とおい.

What is 歩あるきスマホ?

歩あるきスマホ means using your phone while walking. It is a standard word, and it appears in station announcements as something to stop doing.

歩あるきスマホは危あぶないですよ。 — Looking at your phone while walking is dangerous. (polite, a warning) 歩あるきスマホをやめてください。 — Please stop using your phone while walking. (polite request)

The pattern 〜ながら歩あるく ("walk while doing something") says the same thing in longer form: スマホを見みながら歩あるく. The compact version, verb stem + 歩あるき, shows up in other compounds too, such as 食たべ歩あるき (walking around eating, a food crawl).

How does 歩あるく sound in anime?

Anime uses plain forms and commands, and the verb gets dramatic. 歩あるく appears in motivational lines about moving forward, and in short orders.

歩あるけ! — Walk! / Keep walking! (command, rough, a push to keep going) もう歩あるけない… — I can't walk anymore... (casual, exhausted, tired voice) 歩あるき出だした。 — He started walking. (narration, 〜出だす = start to) 自分じぶんの足あしで歩あるく。 — I'll walk on my own two feet. (casual, a declaration of independence)

歩あるき出だす is worth learning as a pattern: stem + 出だす means "begin to." You will meet it in narration all the time, in the same way as 走はしり出だす (start running).

Common mistakes

  • Using で for the road. 道みちで歩あるく sounds as if "the road" were just the location where you perform walking. Say 道みちを歩あるく.
  • Saying 歩あるく when you mean "go on foot." 学校がっこうに歩あるく is not natural. Say 学校がっこうまで歩あるく or 学校がっこうへ歩あるいて行いく.
  • Forgetting 行いく after 歩あるいて. 歩あるいて alone is just a te-form. For "go on foot," you need 歩あるいて行いく, 歩あるいて来くる or 歩あるいて帰かえる.
  • Using 散歩さんぽ for a commute. 散歩さんぽ is for fun and exercise. Walking to work is 歩あるいて通かよう or 歩あるいて行いく.
  • Using 徒歩とほ as a verb. 徒歩とほ is a noun: 徒歩とほで行いく, 徒歩とほ5分ふん. For the action itself, say 歩あるいて行いく.

Quick comparison

Word Meaning Feel Example
歩あるく to walk Neutral, the verb itself 道みちを歩あるく
歩あるいて行いく to go on foot Means of travel 駅えきまで歩あるいて行いく
散歩さんぽ a walk, a stroll Relaxed, for enjoyment 公園こうえんを散歩さんぽする
徒歩とほ on foot Written, signs and listings 駅えきから徒歩とほ5分ふん
歩あるける can walk Ability or "walkable" 歩あるける距離きょり
歩あるきスマホ phone while walking Warning, public notices 歩あるきスマホをやめる

Practice

Answer before you open each one. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair: the same park, with the particle changing along with the verb.

1. Say "I walk every day" in polite Japanese.

Show answer

毎日まいにち、歩あるきます — 歩あるく is a く-verb, so the polite form is 歩あるきます.

2. Give the te-form of 歩あるく.

Show answer

歩あるいて — く becomes いて, the same pattern as 聞きく → 聞きいて. Only 行いく is irregular (行いって).

3. Fill in the particle: 公園こうえん( )歩あるきます. You are walking through the park.

Show answer

を — 公園こうえんを歩あるきます. The park is the area you move through, so a motion verb takes を.

4. Fill in the particle: 公園こうえん( )遊あそびます. You are playing in the park.

Show answer

で — 公園こうえんで遊あそびます. Playing is an action happening at a location, so it takes で. Compare question 3: 歩あるく takes を, 遊あそぶ takes で.

5. Say "I go to the station on foot."

Show answer

駅えきまで歩あるいて行いきます — 歩あるいて gives the means and 行いきます the going. 駅えきまで歩あるきます also works.

6. What is the difference between 散歩さんぽ and 歩あるく?

Show answer

散歩さんぽ is walking for pleasure; 歩あるく is the plain act of walking. 犬いぬの散歩さんぽ is a dog walk, while 駅えきまで歩あるく has a destination.

7. How would you read the sign 駅えきから徒歩とほ5分ふん?

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えきからとほごふん — "five minutes on foot from the station." In speech you would say 駅えきから歩あるいて5分ふん.

8. A friend says 徒歩とほで行いけますか. What is the で doing here?

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で marks the means — "can I get there on foot?" 徒歩とほ is how you travel, not a place you pass through. Compare 道みちを歩あるく, where を marks the route.

9. Say "It's a distance you can walk."

Show answer

歩あるける距離きょりです — 歩あるける is the potential form of 歩あるく.

10. What do you tell someone who is looking at their phone as they walk?

Show answer

歩あるきスマホは危あぶないですよ — or 歩あるきスマホをやめてください for a firm but polite request.

Use a trial lesson to describe your walk to the station with 道みちを歩あるく and 歩あるいて行いく, and compare 散歩さんぽ and 徒歩とほ.

FAQ

Is 歩あるく a regular verb? Yes. It is an う-verb ending in く, so it conjugates like 書かく: 歩あるきます, 歩あるかない, 歩あるいた, 歩あるいて. The only common く-verb that breaks the pattern is 行いく.

Can I say 歩あるくで instead of 歩あるいて行いく? No. で does not attach to a verb like this. To say "go on foot," use the te-form plus 行いく: 歩あるいて行いく. With a noun, you can say 徒歩とほで.

Is 歩あるく the same as 走はしる? No. 歩あるく is walking and 走はしる is running. Both take を for the route, as in 道みちを歩あるく and 道みちを走はしる.

Is 散歩さんぽ only for dogs? No. 犬いぬの散歩さんぽ is just the most common example. You can take a 散歩さんぽ alone, with a partner, or with family. Any relaxed walk with no purpose counts.

What is the difference between 徒歩とほ and 歩あるいて? They mean the same, but 徒歩とほ is written and formal (signs, maps, listings) and 歩あるいて is more natural in casual talk. Both can be used with a number of minutes: 徒歩とほ5分ふん, 歩あるいて5分ふん.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

歩く	あるく — to walk
歩いて行く	あるいていく — to go on foot
道	みち — road, path
公園	こうえん — park
散歩	さんぽ — a walk, a stroll
徒歩	とほ — on foot
歩ける	あるける — can walk
歩きスマホ	あるきスマホ — using a phone while walking
歩き出す	あるきだす — to start walking
距離	きょり — distance
通う	かよう — to commute, to attend regularly
会場	かいじょう — venue

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime, so most of the example sentences on this blog come from lines I've actually heard students ask about — including this one, which comes up in nearly every beginner's first few lessons. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or work through Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference grammars.

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