路 肩(ろかた)

ろかた

noun

road shoulder; roadside

1. road shoulder; roadside; edge of the road

The paved or unpaved strip along the edge of a road, outside the main traffic lanes. Used for emergency stops, breakdowns, or pedestrians where no sidewalk exists.

路肩(ろかた)に車(くるま)を止(と)めた。

I pulled over to the road shoulder.

故障(こしょう)した車(くるま)が路肩(ろかた)に停(と)まっている。

A broken-down car is stopped on the road shoulder.

高速道路(こうそくどうろ)の路肩(ろかた)に駐車(ちゅうしゃ)するのは大変(たいへん)危険(きけん)なので、緊急時(きんきゅうじ)を除(のぞ)いてやめてください。

Parking on the highway shoulder is extremely dangerous, so please don't do it except in emergencies.

Composed of 路(ろ) (road) + 肩(かた) (shoulder). The metaphor of 'shoulder' for the edge of a road exists in both Japanese and English.

Common collocations

路肩(ろかた)に止(と)める: to pull over to the shoulder
路肩(ろかた)に寄(よ)せる: to move to the shoulder
路肩(ろかた)走行(そうこう): driving on the shoulder (illegal on highways)
路肩(ろかた)駐車(ちゅうしゃ): parking on the shoulder

Similar words

歩道(ほどう): sidewalk — a separate path for pedestrians
車道(しゃどう): roadway — the portion of the road for vehicles
側道(そくどう): side road — a narrow road running parallel to a main road

Usage

On Japanese highways (高速道路(こうそくどうろ)), driving or stopping on the 路肩(ろかた) is prohibited except in genuine emergencies. 路肩(ろかた)走行(そうこう) (shoulder driving) during traffic jams is a traffic violation.

Related Words

Compare: 歩道(ほどう) (sidewalk)

Compare: 車道(しゃどう) (roadway)

Related: 縁石(えんせき) (curb)

Compare: 走行車線(そうこうしゃせん) (driving lane)

Compare: 道端(みちばた) (roadside)

Compare: 路側(ろそく) (roadside)

general

Added 2026.3.30 16:51 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:31

20500/20701_rokata