1.
axle; wheel shaft
The rod or spindle that passes through the center of a wheel, allowing it to rotate. Used for vehicles, machinery, and other wheeled equipment.
A compound of 車 (wheel, vehicle) and 軸 (axis, shaft). Also appears in the vivid weather expression 車軸を流す, meaning a torrential downpour so heavy it could wash away an axle — an evocative way to describe extremely heavy rain.
Common collocations
- 車軸が折れる: the axle breaks
- 車軸に油を差す: to oil the axle
- 車軸を流す: torrential rain (idiomatic)
- 前車軸: front axle
- 後車軸: rear axle