What nuance does ドライブ have, compared to 運転?


I'm unclear, and monolingual Japanese dictionaries aren't clarifying for me.
My current assumptions are: (1) ドライブ seems to only mean driving an automobile,
while 運転 can mean driving any type of vehicle. (2) ドライブ seems to **usually**
mean driving for fun, although I've also seen it mean to drive somewhere for a
specific purpose. (3) ドライブ seems to emphasize the act of you moving yourself
places via a vehicle, while 運転 seems to emphasize the act of you operating the
vehicle.

Which of these assumptions are correct/wrong, and are there any other nuances
I'm missing?




Your assumptions are all correct. ドライブ in Japanese has a strong tendency to
refer to driving a car as a recreational activity.

  * (1) - Yes. 電車の運転 is fine but 電車のドライブ is incorrect.
  * (2) - Yes. ドライブ is typically what you do on a date or how car enthusiasts spend their holidays.
  * (3) - Yes. 運転が上手だ is fine but ドライブが上手だ makes little sense. But ドライビングテクニック is fine in contexts related to car racing.

That is not to say ドライブ is never used in the original English way.




Your assumptions are all correct. ドライブ in Japanese has a strong tendency to
refer to driving a car as a recreational activity.

  * (1) - Yes. 電車の運転 is fine but 電車のドライブ is incorrect.
  * (2) - Yes. ドライブ is typically what you do on a date or how car enthusiasts spend their holidays.
  * (3) - Yes. 運転が上手だ is fine but ドライブが上手だ makes little sense. But ドライビングテクニック is fine in contexts related to car racing.

That is not to say ドライブ is never used in the original English way.

