1.
motorway; expressway; automobile road
A road designed specifically for motor vehicles, often a toll expressway with restricted access.
自動車道を使えば早く着く。
If you use the expressway, you'll arrive faster.
東名自動車道は東京と名古屋を結んでいる。
The Tōmei Expressway connects Tokyo and Nagoya.
お盆の時期は自動車道が渋滞するので早めに出発した方がいい。
The expressways get congested during the Obon period, so it's better to leave early.
The formal name for major expressways in Japan. Many of Japan's expressways include 自動車道 in their official names (e.g., 東名高速自動車道). In everyday speech, people often shorten these names or just say 高速 (expressway) or 高速道路.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 高速自動車道 — high-speed expressway
- 自動車道の料金 — expressway toll
- 自動車道の出入り口 — expressway entrance/exit
- 自動車道が渋滞する — the expressway is congested
RELATED TERMS:
- 高速道路 — expressway, highway (more common in everyday speech)
- 国道 — national highway
- 一般道 — regular road (as opposed to expressway)