From the Arabic root ط-ر-ق (ṭ-r-q), conveying the idea of striking or knocking — as a path is "beaten" into existence by repeated footsteps. The same root gives the verb طَرَقَ (ṭaraqa, "to knock/strike") and the noun طَارِق (ṭāriq, "one who comes at night," literally "the night-knocker"), as immortalised in the Quranic surah Al-Ṭāriq.

طَرِيق is used both literally (a physical road) and figuratively (a way of life or method) across all Arabic-speaking regions, making it one of the most versatile everyday nouns. In Classical and religious contexts, phrases like الطَّرِيق الْمُسْتَقِيم (aṭ-ṭarīq al-mustaqīm, "the straight path") carry deep spiritual resonance. Note also that Sufi brotherhoods are traditionally called طُرُق (ṭuruq, the plural), each representing a "path" of spiritual practice.