Translation guide
The English word 'toll' has several distinct meanings: a fee for using a road or bridge, the number of casualties or damage, the sound of a bell, and a charge for a phone call. This guide covers how to express each of these in natural Japanese.
Express a fee paid for using a road, bridge, tunnel, or similar infrastructure.
The standard term for a toll fee for roads, bridges, and tunnels. It literally means 'passage fee'.
How much is the toll for this expressway?
There is a toll to cross the bridge.
A general word for 'fee' or 'charge'. Often used in compounds like 高速料金 (expressway toll) or 有料道路 (toll road).
The expressway toll can be paid with an ETC card.
Means 'toll' or 'fee-charging' as an adjective. Used in signs like 有料道路 (toll road).
Is this road a toll road?
Express the number of deaths, injuries, or amount of damage caused by a disaster, accident, or war.
Specifically means 'death toll' or 'number of deaths'. Used in news reports.
The death toll from the earthquake exceeded 100.
Means 'number of victims' or 'casualty toll'. Can include injured as well as dead, but often implies deaths.
Means 'damage' in a broad sense. Often used in phrases like 被害の大きさ (extent of damage) or 被害総額 (total damage cost). Not a direct count of people.
Means 'number of casualties' (dead and injured). Used in formal reports.
Express the sound made by a bell, especially a large one, or the act of ringing it.
Literally 'sound of a bell'. The most natural way to refer to the tolling sound.
I can hear the toll of the church bell.
Verb meaning 'to ring' or 'to toll' a bell. Use with 鐘を (the bell).
Onomatopoeia for the deep sound of a large bell tolling. Often used in literature or manga.
Express a fee for making a telephone call, especially long-distance.
通行料 specifically refers to a toll for passage (roads, bridges). 料金 is a broader term for any fee or charge. Use 通行料 when you want to be clear it's a road/bridge toll.
The toll is 1000 yen.
The parking fee is separate.
通行料 only means a monetary toll. For death toll, use 死者数 or 犠牲者数. Using 通行料 for casualties would be completely misunderstood.
The death toll from the earthquake rose to 500.
How much is the toll on this highway?
The bell tolled for the fallen soldiers.
The toll of victims from the typhoon is still unknown.
The toll of the flood damage was enormous.
The toll of dead and injured in the accident reached 10.
The monk tolled the bell.
The bell tolled with a deep 'gong' sound.