also: あとわ · しずわ · しりわ
rear wheel
Only with reading こうりん / あとわ
Standard term for the back wheel of a vehicle, bicycle, etc.
The rear wheel of my bicycle got a flat tire.
cantle
Only with reading あとわ / しずわ / しりわ
Refers to the raised back part of a horse saddle. Rare and specialized equestrian term; not used in everyday conversation.
I mount and dismount by placing my hand on the cantle of the saddle.
Rear-wheel-drive cars are said to be good on snowy roads.
Standard kanji spelling for 'rear wheel'. The reading こうりん is the most common.
Rare reading for 'rear wheel' or 'cantle'. こうりん is strongly preferred.
Obscure reading for 'cantle'. Not used in modern Japanese.
Alternate kanji spelling for 'cantle', using 尻 (buttocks) to emphasize the rear part of a saddle.
Kana spelling for the 'cantle' sense, corresponding to the reading しりわ.
Compound of 後 (rear) and 輪 (wheel). The reading こうりん is the standard on'yomi combination. The rare readings あとわ, しずわ, and しりわ are kun'yomi-based and largely obsolete.