also: そとわ
outer ring; external ring
General term for the outermost ring-shaped part of an object, such as a bearing, gear, or mechanical assembly.
ベアリングの外輪が摩耗している。
The outer ring of the bearing is worn.
Only with reading がいりん
Specifically the rim of a wheel; also used for a paddle wheel (外車) in some contexts. The paddle wheel sense is less common and may be encountered in historical or mechanical descriptions.
自転車の外輪がパンクした。
The bicycle's rim got a flat.
外輪船は外輪で水をかいて進む。
A paddle steamer moves by paddling water with its paddle wheels.
out-toe walking; duck-footed walking
Only with reading そとわ
Walking with the feet turned outward; opposite of 内輪 (うちわ). This reading そとわ is rare and mainly used in medical or anatomical contexts.
See also: 内輪 (うちわ)
そとわ歩行は、つま先が外側を向く歩き方です。
Out-toe walking is a gait where the toes point outward.
外輪 read as がいりん means a mechanical or nautical outer ring or rim, an unrelated technical sense that shares kanji with 内輪 but not its meaning.
Standard kanji spelling for the reading がいりん.
Rare reading used only for the out-toe walking sense.
Compound of 外 (outside) and 輪 (ring/wheel). The reading がいりん is the standard on'yomi, while そとわ is a rare kun'yomi reading used only for the out-toe walking sense.