Járhatatlan

Járhatatlan is a Hungarian adjective meaning impassable or not passable. It describes places or routes that cannot be traversed, either permanently due to physical barriers or temporarily due to conditions such as snow, mud, or obstruction. The term is used in geography, road planning, forestry, and emergency management, as well as in everyday speech to describe difficult or unusable paths.

Etymology and usage: The word is formed from the stem jár- “to go” with the suffix -ható to create járható, meaning passable. The suffix -talan negates the meaning, giving járhatatlan “not passable.” In practice, it typically precedes the noun it modifies, for example járhatatlan út (impassable road) or járhatatlan ösvény (impassable trail).

Contexts and nuance: The degree of impassability can be physical—rockfalls, floods, thick vegetation—or seasonal or temporary, such as mud after rain or snow cover. The term can also be used figuratively to describe obstacles to progress, including bureaucratic or logistical barriers, though in formal writing more neutral terms like akadályozott or hozzáférhetetlen are often used.

Related terms: járható, járhatóság and járhatatlanság. The concept is common in map legends, travel guides, and planning documents, reflecting the accessibility of terrain and infrastructure.