溝|みぞmizo[0]heiban (flat)

1. nounditch; drain; gutter; trench
   彼かれはその浅あさい溝みぞを飛び越とびこえた。↗

   He leaped over the shallow ditch.
2. noungroove; tread; indentation
3. noungap (between people, countries, etc.); gulf; rift
   両者りょうしゃの溝みぞが狭せばまった。↗

   The gap between them has narrowed.

• Synonym堀ほりNeutralA moat or defensive trench; 「溝」 is an ordinary ditch or channel, and also a figurative gap between people.
• Synonym樋といNeutralA trough or pipe that catches rainwater from a roof and carries it away; 「溝」 covers ditches and grooves generally, not just eaves fittings.
• Synonym堀割ほりわりWrittenWritten/formal prose. A waterway or canal dug to let water through; 「溝」 is smaller in scale and also figurative for a rift between people.
• Synonym堀切りほりきりWrittenWritten/formal prose. A trench dug artificially for defense, e.g. around a castle; 「溝」 is broader, covering ordinary ditches and grooves.
• Synonymドブ川どぶがわCasualColloquial. A ditch carrying dirty water; 「溝」 is more neutral and also refers to grooves.
• Related壕ごうWrittenWritten/formal prose. Same word as above, also written 「濠」「壕」; mostly a castle moat or defensive trench; 「溝」 is a general term for ditches and grooves.
• Related縦樋たてどいWrittenWritten/formal prose, an architecture term for a downpipe fitted vertically along a wall — a pipe, not a dug channel; 「溝」 is a dug ditch or a surface groove.
• Related雨樋あまどいNeutralStrictly a building term: the rain gutter and downpipe at the eaves; 「溝」 is a general ditch or groove, and also a figurative rift.
• Related雨承けあまうけWrittenWritten/formal prose. A gutter-like device that catches water falling from the eaves — strictly architectural; 「溝」 covers ditches and grooves generally.
• Related澪みおWrittenWritten/formal prose. A channel for boats in the sea or a river, or a ship's wake; 「溝」 is a dug ditch or a groove, and also a figurative rift.
• Antonym盛り上がりもりあがりNeutralAn antonym: a bulge or raised part, or a surge of excitement; in shape it is the opposite of the recessed 「溝」.

Use 「溝」 for a ditch or channel dug in the ground, a groove on a surface, or figuratively a rift between people, as in 「溝が深まる」. For a moat say 「堀」, for a canal 「堀割」, for roof gutters 「樋」 or 「雨樋」, and for a dirty-water ditch 「ドブ川」.

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

1. （みぞ）水みずなどを流ながす目的もくてきで、地面じめんなどを線せん状じょうに掘ほったもの。