地下鉄

Japanese

Kanji in this term
地	下	鉄
ち Grade: 2	か Grade: 1	てつ Grade: 3
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
地下鐵 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Abbreviation for 地下鉄道 (ちかてつどう, chikatetsudō, “underground railway”), from 地下 (ちか, chika, “underground”) + 鉄道 (てつどう, tetsudō, “railway”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ちかてつ [chìkátétsú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [t͡ɕi̥ka̠te̞t͡sɨ]

Noun

地(ち)下(か)鉄(てつ) • (chikatetsu) 

1. (rail transport) rapid transit, metro, (AmE) subway, (BrE) underground

References

• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.