What is the difference between the different words for street: 街，路 etc? Some street names end with 路 and some with 街. I was curious to know if there is any difference in the meaning of the two words. When I look them up in a dictionary both say "street".

Are they the same?
Is one used over another in particular situations?
街 = street


过街 - cross the street

逛大街 - to go window shopping/to have a stroll


路 = road


走错路 -or- 走弯路 take the wrong path (both literally and figuratively)

走投无路 - to be at an impasse/to have no way out/to be at a dead end (again both lit. and fig.)



街 is more like a literal street, while 路 is equivalent to road but it can also be used figuratively for paths/directions in life, etc.