航行

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 航行(こうこう) is a noun for travel by a vessel or aircraft; 航行する is its verbal form.
• Basic usage: It is a relatively formal way to describe a ship's movement, including its speed or route in the examples.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• を marks a route
  • In 海峡を航行する, を marks the route traversed.
• How the focus differs from 運航
  • 運航(うんこう) focuses on operating vessels or aircraft on schedules or routes. 航行 describes the vessel or aircraft's actual movement.