エンジンブレーキ

えんじんぶれーき
noun
engine braking
transportation
1. engine braking (slowing a vehicle using the engine)
The technique of slowing a vehicle by releasing the accelerator and/or downshifting, so that the engine's resistance helps decelerate the car without using the foot brake. The Japanese term is wasei-eigo.
下(くだ)り坂(ざか)ではエンジンブレーキを使(つか)う。
Use engine braking on downhill slopes.
ギアを下(さ)げてエンジンブレーキをかけた。
I downshifted and applied engine braking.
長(なが)い下(くだ)り坂(ざか)では、フットブレーキだけでなくエンジンブレーキも併用(へいよう)しよう。
On long downhill slopes, use engine braking together with the foot brake.
雪道(ゆきみち)では急(きゅう)ブレーキを避(さ)けて、エンジンブレーキでゆっくり速度(そくど)を落(お)とすのが安全(あんぜん)だ。
On snowy roads, it's safer to avoid sudden braking and gradually reduce speed using engine braking.

エンジンブレーキ is a wasei-eigo term for the deceleration provided by the engine when the driver releases the accelerator or downshifts. Unlike フットブレーキ, no separate brake pedal is involved — the engine itself slows the car.

Common collocations

Similar words

Usage

  • Driving school in Japan emphasizes that on long downhill stretches, drivers should rely partly on エンジンブレーキ to keep the foot brakes from overheating and losing effectiveness — a phenomenon known as ベーパーロック or フェード現象(げんしょう).
  • For automatic transmission cars, you can engage stronger エンジンブレーキ by shifting to a lower gear (e.g., L or 2).

Related Words

Compare: フットブレーキ (foot brake)
Compare: サイドブレーキ (parking brake)
Compare: 減速(げんそく) (deceleration, slowing down)
general
Added 2026.5.9 20:31 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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