運転

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 私はまだ運転できません。▶ —
   I can't drive yet.
2. 安全運転を心がけてください。▶ —
   Please mind safe driving.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Unten (運転) is the Sino-Japanese "driving / operation" — 運 (transport) + 転 (rotate) = "rotating to convey." Noun or suru-verb. Kuruma wo unten suru (drive a car), densha wo unten suru (operate a train, by a driver). Unten menkyo (driver's license) — minimum age 18 in Japan. Anzen unten (safe driving) appears on road signs and traffic campaigns. Compare: doraibu (drive, loanword, leisure trip), sousa (operation, general machinery), soujuu (piloting, aircraft / ship). Japanese driving culture: left-hand traffic, jidousha kyoushuu-jo (driving school), kourei-sha hyoushiki (elderly-driver sticker) form social vocabulary clusters.

Quick check

1. Loanword for "fun car trip / drive"?

   • Doraibu — leisure drive (loanword)
   • Unten — general driving
   • Soujuu — piloting
   • Sousa — machine operation