Translation guide
The English word 'ride' covers many situations: traveling on/in a vehicle, riding an animal or bicycle, giving someone a lift, and even amusement park rides. Japanese uses different verbs and expressions depending on what you ride and how.
バスに乗ります。
I ride the bus.
車に乗せてもらえますか？
Can you give me a ride?
To be a passenger in a car, bus, train, plane, etc.
General verb for getting on and riding in/on a vehicle. Use に to mark the vehicle.
I ride the bus.
電車に乗って学校に行く。
I go to school by train.
Literally 'ride and go', used when you go somewhere by vehicle.
駅まで車で乗っていくよ。
I'll give you a ride to the station.
To sit on and control a two-wheeled vehicle or an animal.
Same verb as for vehicles, but context makes it clear. Use に for the thing ridden.
自転車に乗るのが好きです。
I like riding my bicycle.
馬に乗ったことがありますか。
Have you ever ridden a horse?
To transport someone in your vehicle.
Causative form of 乗る, meaning 'to let someone ride'. Often used for giving a lift.
駅まで車に乗せてあげるよ。
I'll give you a ride to the station.
Means 'to take someone (somewhere)', often by car. Implies giving a ride.
家まで送っていくよ。
I'll give you a ride home.
A mechanical attraction at a fair or theme park.
General word for 'ride' in the sense of an attraction. Literally 'thing to ride'.
あの乗り物は怖そう。
That ride looks scary.
A trip in a vehicle, especially for pleasure.
Used for a pleasure drive in a car. Not for trains or buses.
週末にドライブに行かない？
Want to go for a ride this weekend?
Formal noun for 'riding' or 'boarding' a vehicle. Used in announcements or formal contexts.
The English loanword ライド is not commonly used for vehicles or animals. It may appear in video games or as part of compound words like ライドシェア (ride share), but for most situations, use 乗る or other native expressions.
乗る (のる) is intransitive: you ride something. 乗せる (のせる) is transitive: you give someone a ride or put something on a vehicle.
私はバスに乗る。
I ride the bus.
私は友達を車に乗せる。
I give my friend a ride.
Loanword from English, common at theme parks.
ディズニーランドのアトラクションは楽しい。
The rides at Disneyland are fun.
Thank you for riding with us.