also: くろ
noun
ridge between rice fields; paddy ridge
The raised earth path or boundary between rice paddies; a common rural landscape feature.
田んぼのあぜ道を歩く。
Walk along the ridge path between the rice fields.
noun
ridge in a threshold or lintel
Technical carpentry term for the raised strip between grooves in a door threshold or lintel.
敷居のあぜがすり減っている。
The ridge in the threshold is worn down.
noun
footpath between rice fields; causeway
Abbreviation of あぜ道; refers specifically to the narrow path on top of the ridge used for walking.
See also: 畦道
あぜを歩いて隣の田んぼへ行く。
Walk along the footpath to the next rice field.
Alternate kanji form; also read くろ in some contexts.
Rare reading くろ for the kanji 畔; may appear in older or dialectal usage.
Kanji form for あぜ; used in some contexts, especially in agricultural writing.
あぜ道 explicitly means the path on the ridge, while あぜ can refer to the ridge itself or, by abbreviation, the path.
The origin is uncertain; the word is native Japanese and has been used since ancient times to refer to the ridges between rice fields.