鉛直

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 鉛直(えんちょく) denotes the straight up-and-down direction defined by gravity.
• Basic usage: It describes the direction indicated by a weighted string or whether a column stands plumb.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A different reference from 垂直
  • 垂直(すいちょく) can mean perpendicular to a specified line or surface. 鉛直 is defined relative to gravity, so a direction perpendicular to a sloping surface is not necessarily plumb.