歯車(はぐるま)

はぐるま
noun
gear, cogwheel
1. gear, cogwheel, cog
A rotating machine part with teeth that mesh with another toothed part to transmit motion.
時計(とけい)の歯車(はぐるま)が壊(こわ)れている。
The gear in the clock is broken.
歯車(はぐるま)が噛(か)み合(あ)ってスムーズに動(うご)く。
The gears mesh and move smoothly.
二(ふた)つの歯車(はぐるま)が噛(か)み合(あ)うことで機械(きかい)が正(ただ)しく動(うご)く。
The machine works correctly when the two gears mesh together.
2. cog (in a system)
Figuratively, a small part of a larger mechanism or organization.
彼(かれ)は大(おお)きな組織(そしき)の一(ひと)つの歯車(はぐるま)に過(す)ぎない。
He's just a cog in a large organization.
Figurative usage
チームの歯車(はぐるま)が狂(くる)い始(はじ)めて、プロジェクトが遅(おく)れている。
The team's gears have started to go wrong, and the project is falling behind.
歯車(はぐるま)が狂(くる)う = things stop working smoothly
社会(しゃかい)の歯車(はぐるま)として働(はたら)き続(つづ)けることに疲(つか)れてしまった。
I've grown tired of continuing to work as a cog in society's machine.

USAGE: 歯車(はぐるま) combines 歯(は) (tooth) and 車(くるま) (wheel). It's used both literally for mechanical gears and figuratively for people as parts of larger systems.

COMMON PATTERNS:

FIGURATIVE USAGE: Often used to describe feeling like an insignificant part of a large organization or system.

general
Added 2026.1.14 9:58 · Revised 2026.5.31 3:11
04000/04306_haguruma