1.
gear, cogwheel, cog
A rotating machine part with teeth that mesh with another toothed part to transmit motion.
時計の歯車が壊れている。
The gear in the clock is broken.
歯車が噛み合ってスムーズに動く。
The gears mesh and move smoothly.
二つの歯車が噛み合うことで機械が正しく動く。
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.
彼は大きな組織の一つの歯車に過ぎない。
He's just a cog in a large organization.
Figurative usage
チームの歯車が狂い始めて、プロジェクトが遅れている。
The team's gears have started to go wrong, and the project is falling behind.
歯車が狂う = things stop working smoothly
社会の歯車として働き続けることに疲れてしまった。
I've grown tired of continuing to work as a cog in society's machine.
USAGE: 歯車 combines 歯 (tooth) and 車 (wheel). It's used both literally for mechanical gears and figuratively for people as parts of larger systems.
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 歯車が噛み合う (gears mesh - also figurative: things work well together)
- 歯車が狂う (gears go wrong - things stop working smoothly)
- 歯車の一つ (one gear/cog - small part of system)
FIGURATIVE USAGE: Often used to describe feeling like an insignificant part of a large organization or system.