How do you say "tunnel" in Japanese?

トンネル

tonneru

Noun Katakana

In Japanese, "tunnel" is トンネル (tonneru).

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Pronunciation

Pronounce ton-NE-ru, keeping the first syllable short and clipped, then finishing with a light ru sound rather than the English 'nel'.

Writing and usage

トンネル is written using katakana. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

列車は長いトンネルを猛スピードで進んだ。

ressha ha nagai tonneru wo takeshi supiido de susun da.

The train sped through a long tunnel.

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How to remember トンネル

Tonneru sounds like 'tunnel-oo' - picture a train echoing 'tonneruuu' as it disappears into a dark mountain hole.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about トンネル

How do you pronounce トンネル?

Pronounce ton-NE-ru, keeping the first syllable short and clipped, then finishing with a light ru sound rather than the English 'nel'.

Is トンネル formal or casual?

トンネル is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is トンネル written in Japanese?

トンネル is written using katakana. Romanised, it reads as tonneru.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Tunnel" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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