shafts; thills
Refers to the two long poles between which an animal or person is harnessed to pull a cart, rickshaw, or similar vehicle.
Grip the shafts of a rickshaw.
Pull the tiller to change the boat's direction.
Standard kanji spelling for both the shaft and tiller senses.
Alternate spelling using 舵 (rudder), emphasizing the tiller sense.
Compound of 梶 (rudder/oar) and 棒 (pole/rod). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word literally describes a pole used for steering or pulling.