(のりめん)

のりめん
noun
slope; embankment face; cut slope
1. slope; embankment face; cut slope
The inclined surface of an embankment, levee, or excavation. Used in civil engineering and construction to refer to any artificial or natural slope that has been shaped by cutting or filling earth.
法面(のりめん)(くず)れた。
The embankment slope collapsed.
大雨(おおあめ)法面(のりめん)土砂(どしゃ)(なが)()した。
Soil from the embankment slope washed out due to heavy rain.
道路(どうろ)法面(のりめん)にコンクリートを()()けて補強(ほきょう)する工事(こうじ)(はじ)まった。
Construction work began to reinforce the roadside slope by spraying it with concrete.

A civil engineering term for any slope created by cutting into or building up earth. The reading のりめん is non-obvious; (のり) here means "slope gradient" (not "law" as in 法律(ほうりつ)), and (めん) means "face" or "surface."

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 法面(のりめん)崩壊(ほうかい): slope collapse
  • 法面(のりめん)保護(ほご): slope protection
  • 法面(のりめん)工事(こうじ): slope construction work
  • (きり)法面(のりめん): cut slope (formed by excavation)
  • (もり)法面(のりめん): fill slope (formed by banking earth)

USAGE:
Frequently encountered in news reports about landslides and road damage after heavy rain or earthquakes. Road signs near mountain passes and construction sites also use this term.