Refers to a dirty, often smelly drainage ditch or gutter, typically found along roads or in urban areas. Carries a negative, unpleasant connotation.
gap between cutting guides
Only with reading ドブ
Specialized term used in printing or paper cutting; refers to the gap between cutting guides. Usually written in katakana as ドブ.
I slipped on the dark road and fell into the ditch.
I fell into the ditch by the roadside.
The smell from the drains is terrible around here.
In the printing process, adjust the width of the gap between cutting guides.
This area smells terrible, like a ditch.
The bike's front wheel got stuck in the ditch and I couldn't move.
下水 refers to the sewage/wastewater system in general, whereas どぶ is the concrete, often foul-smelling open ditch that carries such water.
brown rat; Norway rat; sewer rat · dark gray; dirty gray · deceitful employee; unfaithful servant
large ditch
ditch water; water in a ditch
ditch mud; mud from a ditch
Sphaerium japonicum; fingernail clam
Usually written in kana; the kanji 溝 is also read みぞ and can cause confusion.
Kanji spelling is possible but rare; more often read みぞ.
Katakana spelling is common in informal writing and for the specialized sense 'gap between cutting guides'.
The origin is uncertain; possibly related to どろ (mud) or どぶん (splashing sound). The kanji 溝 is an assigned character, not reflecting the word's derivation.