noun
shaking; vibration; tremor; flickering
Physical shaking, vibration, or quivering of objects, ground, light, etc. Often used for earthquakes, vehicle motion, or unstable images.
地震の揺れで棚の物が落ちた。
Things fell off the shelf due to the earthquake shaking.
電車の揺れで本が読みにくい。
It's hard to read because of the train's vibration.
noun
instability; wavering; unsettledness
Figurative use for emotional, mental, or situational instability; hesitation, vacillation, or lack of firmness.
心の揺れを抑えられなかった。
I couldn't suppress the wavering of my heart.
政策の揺れが国民の不信を招いた。
The instability of the policy caused public distrust.
noun
linguistic variation; multiple forms for one word
Linguistics term for a single word having multiple spellings, pronunciations, or usages. Rare outside academic contexts.
「揺れ」は言語学で、一つの語に複数の表記や発音が存在することを指す。
In linguistics, 揺れ refers to the existence of multiple spellings or pronunciations for a single word.
震え often implies a finer, quicker trembling (e.g., from cold or fear), while 揺れ is broader, covering larger shaking or swaying motions.
動揺 is more formal and often used for emotional disturbance or social unrest, whereas 揺れ is more concrete and everyday.
The noun form of the verb 揺れる (yureru, 'to shake'), derived from the verb stem. The kanji 揺 is composed of 扌 (hand) and 䍃 (a phonetic component suggesting shaking or moving).