1.
bite; dental occlusion; alignment of upper and lower teeth
The way the upper and lower teeth fit together when the mouth is closed. A common dental term.
噛み合わせが悪い。
I have a bad bite.
歯医者で噛み合わせを調べてもらった。
I had the dentist check my bite.
噛み合わせがずれていると、頭痛や肩こりの原因になることがある。
If your bite is misaligned, it can cause headaches and shoulder stiffness.
2.
meshing; engagement (of gears or interlocking parts)
By extension, the fit or engagement of any two parts that mesh together, such as gear teeth. Also used figuratively for how two parties or arguments line up.
歯車の噛み合わせを確認する。
Check the engagement of the gears.
二人の意見の噛み合わせが悪く、議論が進まなかった。
The two people's opinions didn't mesh well, and the discussion didn't move forward.
機械の部品の噛み合わせを細かく調整した。
I carefully adjusted how the machine parts mesh together.
Noun form of 噛み合う (to mesh, to bite into each other). The dental sense is the most everyday use; the mechanical sense is common in engineering contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 噛み合わせが悪い: have a bad bite; not mesh well
- 噛み合わせを治す: correct one's bite
- 噛み合わせを調整する: adjust the alignment / engagement
- 歯車の噛み合わせ: meshing of gears
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 噛み合う: to mesh, to bite together — the verb form
- 歯並び: dental alignment — focuses on how teeth are arranged in a row, not how they meet