1.
conductor wire; lead wire; electrical lead
A wire or cable that conducts electricity from one point to another. Used in electronics, physics, and electrical work.
2.
flow line; traffic flow; route of movement
The path or route along which people or things naturally move through a space. Used in architecture, retail design, and urban planning to describe how foot traffic flows.
Written with the same reading but different nuances across senses. Sense 1 uses 導線 where 導 means 'conduct' (as in conducting electricity). Sense 2 uses 導線 where 導 means 'guide' (as in guiding people along a path). Both senses share the idea of channeling flow.
Usage
The electrical sense (1) is common in physics classes and technical work. The traffic flow sense (2) has become increasingly common in retail, event planning, and UX design discussions, where optimizing the 導線 means making it easy for customers or users to move naturally through a space.
Common collocations
- 導線をつなぐ: to connect a wire
- 導線が切れる: the wire breaks
- 導線を確保する: to secure the traffic flow
- 導線を設計する: to design the flow of movement
- 客導線: customer flow path
Similar words
- 電線: electric wire; power line — a wire carrying electricity, often overhead; broader than 導線
- 動線: traffic flow; movement line — sometimes written with this kanji for the traffic flow sense; effectively interchangeable with 導線 sense 2
- 配線: wiring — the arrangement of electrical wires in a building or device