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.
If you see someone with a white cane on the station platform, please call out to them.
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