1.
tunnel
An underground passage, especially one built through a hill or under a road, river, or other obstacle.
When we emerged from the tunnel, we could see the ocean.
トンネル is a loanword from English "tunnel." Japan is mountainous and has an extensive network of tunnels for roads and railways.
Common collocations
- トンネルを抜ける: to pass through/emerge from a tunnel
- トンネル工事: tunnel construction
- 海底トンネル: undersea tunnel
- 地下トンネル: underground tunnel
- トンネルに入る: to enter a tunnel
Usage
トンネルを抜ける is also used figuratively to mean emerging from a difficult period — e.g., 不況のトンネルを抜ける (to emerge from a recession).
CULTURAL NOTE (literature):
The famous opening of Kawabata Yasunari's novel 雪国 (Snow Country): 「国境の長いトンネルを抜けると雪国であった」 (The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country).