カーブkaabu

1. noun, suru verb, intransitive verbcurve; turn; bend
   彼かれは右みぎに急きゅうカーブした。↗

   He made a sharp turn to the right.
2. noun, suru verb, intransitive verb, baseballcurveball; curve ball
   その少年しょうねんはカーブの投げ方なげかたを知しっている。↗

   The boy knows how to throw a curve.

• Synonym湾曲わんきょくWrittenWritten word for a bow-shaped bend, as in 「背骨の湾曲」 or 「湾曲した海岸線」; it describes shape, while カーブ is mostly road curves and curveballs.
• Synonym曲線きょくせんNeutralA curve as a line, as in 「曲線を描く」; most at home in geometry, graphs and body shapes, and leans written.
• Synonym屈折くっせつNeutralRefraction of light, or warped feelings and logic, as in 「屈折した感情」; the point is bending away from straight, unlike カーブ.
• Synonym曲がりまがりNeutralA bend or the degree of bending, as in 「腰の曲がり」; common in everyday speech for bent places or things.
• SynonymベンドNeutralLoanword for the bent part of pipes, ropes and the like; mostly technical and rare in daily speech, so it seldom replaces カーブ.
• Related曲折きょくせつNeutralTwists and turns, as in 「紆余曲折」; used for eventful experiences and processes rather than the physical curves カーブ refers to.
• Related曲がり目まがりめNeutralA turn in a road, and by extension a turning point in life, as in 「人生の曲がり目」; カーブ names the curve itself, not the life metaphor.
• Related屈曲くっきょくWrittenFormal term for bending, as in 「膝の屈曲」; especially common in medical and anatomical contexts.
• RelatedたわみNeutralBending or sagging under a load, as in 「梁のたわみ」; a structural-engineering term, not used for road curves.
• Related湾曲部わんきょくぶWrittenWritten term for the bent portion itself, in geographic or anatomical descriptions; カーブ names the curve, this names the part.
• Antonym直線ちょくせんNeutralA straight line, the opposite of a curve, as in 「直線コース」; it stands as the antonym of カーブ.

Use 「カーブ」 for road curves, statistical curves and the baseball curveball (「急カーブ」); pick 「曲線」 for geometric curves, 「湾曲」 for bow-shaped bends, 「曲折」 for eventful experiences; 「直線」 is the opposite.

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

1. 曲まがること。
2. 曲線きょくせん。道路どうろの曲線きょくせんのように曲まがる所ところ。
3. 球種きゅうしゅの一ひとつ。