1.
crack, fissure
A narrow opening or split in a surface caused by breaking or splitting.
壁に亀裂が入った。
A crack appeared in the wall.
地震で道路に亀裂が生じた。
The earthquake caused cracks in the road.
氷河に大きな亀裂が走った。
A large crack ran through the glacier.
2.
rift, division
A serious break or split in relationships, organizations, or unity.
与党に亀裂が生じた。
A rift formed in the ruling party.
夫婦関係に亀裂が入った。
A rift developed in their marriage.
同盟の亀裂は修復不可能なほど深い。
The rift in the alliance is so deep it may be irreparable.
亀裂 contains the character 亀 (turtle), referencing the cracked pattern on turtle shells. It's used for both physical cracks and figurative rifts in relationships or organizations.
Common collocations:
- 亀裂が入る: a crack/rift forms
- 亀裂が生じる: a crack/rift develops
- 亀裂を修復する: to repair a rift
Related terms:
- 裂け目: crack, split
- 溝: gap, divide
- {ひび}: crack (physical)