1.
utility pole; telephone pole
A tall wooden or concrete pole used to support overhead power lines and telephone cables. A common feature of Japanese streets and neighborhoods.
電柱に車がぶつかった。
A car crashed into a utility pole.
この通りには電柱が多すぎる。
There are too many utility poles on this street.
市は景観改善のために電柱の地中化を進めている。
The city is promoting the undergrounding of utility poles to improve the landscape.
USAGE:
Utility poles are a distinctive feature of Japanese cityscapes. In recent years, there has been a movement to bury power lines underground (無電柱化 or 電柱の地中化) to improve aesthetics and disaster resilience. The word covers both power poles and telephone poles.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 電柱の地中化 (undergrounding of utility poles)
- 電柱に{ぶつかる|} (to crash into a pole)
- 電柱が立つ (a pole stands)