勾こう配ばい

こ

う

ば

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

slope; incline; gradient; grade; pitch

General term for the steepness of a physical surface, road, roof, or terrain.

この坂さかは勾こう配ばいが急きゅうで、自じ転てん車しゃでは登のぼりにくい。
This hill has a steep slope and is hard to climb by bicycle.

屋や根ねの勾こう配ばいを緩ゆるやかにして雪ゆきが落おちやすくした。

We made the roof pitch gentler so that snow slides off easily.

noun

slope (of a linear function)

mathematics

Mathematical term for the slope of a line in coordinate geometry.

Written forms

勾こう配ばいUsage96%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
こう配ばいUsage4%
search-only kanji form
Search-only form; not a common practical spelling.

Kanji

勾be bent, slope, capture
配distribute, spouse, exile

Similar words

傾かたむき
傾き is a more general word for inclination or slant, often used in everyday contexts, while 勾配 is more technical and commonly used for slopes of roads, roofs, or in mathematics.
坂さか
坂 refers to a hill or slope as a physical feature, whereas 勾配 refers to the degree or measure of steepness.

Etymology

Compound of 勾 (hook, curve, slope) and 配 (distribute, arrange). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination has been used to express the concept of inclination or gradient.