走る
はしる
hashiru
= to run
走る (hashiru) means to run — and as one of the most basic action verbs in Japanese, it appears in everything from elementary school PE class to profound expressions about how cars, electricity, and shivers through your body all ‘run’ in Japanese.
Hashiru is a godan (u-verb) meaning to run. Its core meaning is physical running: 走る (hashiru — to run), 走っている (hashitte iru — is running), 走った (hashitta — ran). But hashiru also extends metaphorically: 電車が走る (densha ga hashiru — the train runs/operates), 電気が走る (denki ga hashiru — electricity runs/surges), 痛みが走る (itami ga hashiru — a pain shoots through), 背中に悪寒が走った (senaka ni okan ga hashitta — a chill ran down my spine).
Hashiru conjugates as a godan (u-verb): hashiru → hashiranai (negative) → hashirimasu (polite) → hashitte (te-form) → hashitta (past). The te-form hashitte is particularly common: 走って行く (hashitte iku — to run off/away), 走って帰る (hashitte kaeru — to run home). Don’t confuse with 働く (hataraku — to work) — a common beginner mix-up due to similar sound patterns.
走 (sou/hashi) depicts a person in motion with legs and arms spread. The character appears in compounds: 走行 (soukou — running/traveling of a vehicle), 脱走 (dassou — escape/breakout), 先走り (sakibashiri — getting ahead of oneself / jumping the gun).
Everyday use
遅刻しそうだったので、駅まで走った。
Chikoku shisou datta node, eki made hashitta.
I was about to be late, so I ran to the station.
Casual / Social Media
5km走れるようになった！！半年前は1kmも無理だったのに成長した
5km hashireru you ni natta!! Hantoshimae wa 1km mo muri datta noni seichou shita
I can run 5km now!! Half a year ago I couldn’t even do 1km — I’ve grown
Formal / Cultural context
都市型マラソン大会は市民が公道を走ることを可能にする特別な許可を必要とし、交通規制と参加者の安全確保が運営上の最重要課題となる。
Toshigata marason taikai wa shimin ga koudou wo hashiru koto wo kanou ni suru tokubetsu na kyoka wo hitsuyou to shi, koutsuu kisei to sankasha no anzen kakuho ga unei-jou no sai-juuyou kadai to naru.
City marathons require special permits enabling citizens to run on public roads, with traffic control and participant safety as the primary operational priorities.
Running has a special place in Japanese school culture through 駅伝 (ekiden — long-distance relay race). Ekiden is one of the most watched sports events in Japan — the Hakone Ekiden, a university relay race run over two days in early January, draws tens of millions of TV viewers and rivals professional sporting events in prestige. For Japanese high school and university students who run competitively, being on an ekiden team carries significant social and institutional weight.
The phrase 走り出したら止まらない (hashiridashitara tomaranai — once it starts running, it won’t stop) is used both literally and as a metaphor for momentum or unstoppable situations. Running also appears in the Japanese idiom 先走る (sakibashiru — to run ahead of oneself), meaning to act before thinking or to get ahead of the situation — a caution against impulsiveness that reflects the Japanese cultural value of measured, coordinated action.
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