交こう番ばん

noun

police box; small neighborhood police station; koban

The common everyday meaning: a small local police station or police box where officers are stationed, found in neighborhoods, near stations, and at busy intersections.

• 駅えき前まえの交こう番ばんで道みちを聞きいた。

  I asked for directions at the police box in front of the station.

• 落おとし物ものを近ちかくの交こう番ばんに届とどけた。

  I took the lost item to a nearby police box.

noun

alternation; taking turns

A much less common noun meaning alternation or doing something by turns. In modern Japanese, 交替 or 交代 is usually the plainer choice; 交番 in this sense is more formal or found in set phrases such as 昼夜交番.

• 古ふるい文ぶん章しょうでは、「昼ちゅう夜や交こう番ばんで働はたらく」という言いい方かたが見みられる。

  In older writing, the expression 昼夜交番で働く, meaning to work in day-and-night alternation, can be seen.

noun-modifying (irregular)

alternating; alternating current or stress

Technical prenominal use in physics and engineering, as in 交番電流 or 交番応力. It modifies another noun rather than being used like an ordinary adjective.

• この実じっ験けんでは、材ざい料りょうに交こう番ばん応おう力りょくを加くわえる。

  In this experiment, alternating stress is applied to the material.

• 交こう番ばん電でん流りゅうは、時じ間かんとともに向むきが変かわる電でん流りゅうである。

  An alternating current is a current whose direction changes over time.