ride

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 乗 has nine strokes and expresses boarding a vehicle or putting people aboard.
• Basic usage: 乗る, read のる, means to ride or board; 乗せる, read のせる, means to put someone aboard or give them a ride.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Boarding and putting someone aboard
  • 友達が車に乗る means a friend gets into a car; 友達を車に乗せる means someone puts the friend in the car or gives them a ride.
  • The subject marked by が and the object marked by を have different roles in who boards and who puts someone aboard.
• The particle on the vehicle
  • In 電車に乗る, に marks the vehicle boarded.
  • Korean marks the vehicle as an object in its equivalent expression, but that particle pattern should not be transferred into Japanese as を.
• Listening and offering advice
  • 相談に乗る means to listen to someone's concerns or questions and offer advice.
  • Here 乗る is an idiomatic use meaning to respond to a request for advice, not to physically board a vehicle.