Dental term for how the upper and lower teeth meet. Also used in everyday contexts to refer to one's bite.
The dentist told me my bite is misaligned.
I improved my occlusion through orthodontic treatment.
meshing; engaging (of gears)
Mechanical term for gears fitting together. Also used metaphorically for things working in harmony.
The gears are not meshing properly.
The team is starting to work well together.
Formal dental term for occlusion, used in medical contexts. 噛み合わせ is more common in everyday language.
Standard kanji spelling for both dental and mechanical senses.
Kana spelling is common when the kanji 噛 is considered difficult or unnecessary.
Rare variant using 咬, mainly in dental contexts.
Compound of 噛み (kami, 'biting', continuative form of 噛む) and 合わせ (awase, 'joining', continuative form of 合わせる). Literally 'biting together'.