noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
A smaller road branching off from a main road; often used literally.
大通りから脇道に入ると、急に静かになった。
When we turned off the main street onto a side road, it suddenly became quiet.
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
digression; tangent
Figurative use: straying from the main topic in a conversation or argument.
話が脇道にそれてしまった。
The conversation went off on a tangent.
Rarely used kanji form.
Compound of 脇 (waki, 'side') + 道 (michi, 'road'). The figurative sense developed naturally from the literal meaning.