Refers to the bending or sagging of a structural element under load, or a natural curve. Common in engineering and everyday descriptions of flexible objects.
I'm concerned about the shelf's bending.
Calculate the deflection of the bridge.
Usually written in kana; the kanji form 撓み is rare and not commonly used.
Kanji form is uncommon; learners will almost always encounter the kana spelling.
Derived from the verb たわむ (撓む), meaning 'to bend' or 'to be flexible'. The noun form たわみ nominalizes this action, referring to the state or amount of bending.