noun
round slice; cutting into rounds
Primarily used for cutting cylindrical foods (e.g., carrots, cucumbers, daikon) into round slices. Can also refer to the resulting round slice itself.
大根を輪切りにして鍋に入れた。
I cut the daikon into round slices and put them in the pot.
きゅうりの輪切りをサラダに加える。
Add round slices of cucumber to the salad.
noun
dividing into groups; stratifying
Figurative use, often in educational or organizational contexts, meaning to divide people into groups based on ability, age, or other criteria. Less common than the literal slicing sense.
生徒を成績で輪切りにしてクラスを編成する。
They divide the students into classes by ability.
Compound of 輪 (wa, 'ring, circle') and 切り (kiri, 'cutting', from 切る). The literal meaning is 'cutting into ring shapes'.