How to say "incline" in Japanese

• 坂さかJLPT N4approx.Common
  nounCovers 'incline' as a noun meaning a sloping stretch of ground or road, essentially a hill or slope. It refers to the place itself, not the act of tilting anything.
  坂さかを下おりるときに彼女かのじょのおんぼろ自転車じてんしゃはキーキー音おとを立たてた。↗

  Her old bike squeaked as she rode down the hill.
• 傾けるかたむけるJLPT N1approx.Common
  ichidan verb, transitive verbThe verb for inclining, leaning, or tipping something, typically done deliberately by an agent. Use this when someone tilts an object or leans their body in a chosen direction.
  私は君きみの言いうことには熱心ねっしんに耳みみを傾かたむけている。↗

  I am all ears to what you say.
• 偏るかたよるJLPT N2approx.Common
  godan verb, intransitive verbMeans to lean or incline to one side, often with a nuance of imbalance or bias — weight, attention, or a distribution shifting unevenly toward one direction rather than a physical tilting motion.
• 勾配こうばいCommon
  nounA noun for the slope, gradient, or grade of a road, path, or surface, especially as a measured degree of steepness. Choose this when 'incline' refers to the technical steepness of terrain.
  屋根やねの勾配こうばいをどうするか決きめるのはとても重要じゅうようです。↗

  It is very important to decide what to do about the slope of the roof.
• 傾げるかしげるCommon
  ichidan verb, transitive verbA verb for tilting or inclining something, used especially of the head — as when someone tilts their head in puzzlement. For tilting the head, this is the word you want.
  彼女かのじょはちょっと首くびをかしげて、黙然もくぜんと立たっていた。↗

  She stood silently, her head tilted slightly to one side.

Use 坂 or 勾配 for a physical slope, 「傾ける」 for deliberately tipping something, 「傾げる」 for tilting the head, and 「偏る」 for leaning or inclining to one side.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 坂さかslope
• 傾けるかたむけるto incline
• 偏るかたよるto lean (to one side)
• 勾配こうばいslope
• 傾げるかしげるto tilt (esp. head)
• インクラインincline
• 曲げるまげるto lean