1.
a white cane — the long white stick used by blind or visually impaired people to detect obstacles and to signal their condition to others
The standard mobility tool used by visually impaired people. In Japan, the white cane also functions as a legal and visual symbol: under the road traffic law, drivers and passersby are required to assist or give way to people holding a white cane. The word appears in public awareness campaigns and in signs at train stations.
白杖を持つ人がいた。
There was a person holding a white cane.
白杖を使って歩道を歩く。
Walking along the sidewalk using a white cane.
駅のホームで白杖の方を見かけたら、声をかけてください。
If you see someone with a white cane on the station platform, please call out to them.
白杖を高く掲げるのは、助けを求めているサインと言われている。
Raising the white cane high is said to be a signal that the person is asking for help.
The white cane used by visually impaired people for mobility. Also functions as a socially and legally recognized symbol of visual impairment.
USAGE:
- Appears in accessibility, public transport, and traffic safety contexts.
- The phrase 白杖SOS is a recognized signal: a visually impaired person holds the cane up above their head to indicate they need assistance.
- Road traffic law in Japan gives pedestrians with a white cane special protection; drivers must slow down or stop.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 白杖を持つ: to hold a white cane
- 白杖を使う: to use a white cane
- 白杖をつく: to tap (the ground with) a white cane
- 白杖の方: a person with a white cane
- 白杖SOS: the raised-cane help signal
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 杖: a cane or walking stick — general term, usually for elderly or injured people.
- 盲人用杖: cane for blind people — descriptive phrase, less common than the single word 白杖.
- ステッキ: stick, cane — an elegant walking stick; unrelated to assistive use.