diff --git a/anndata/_core/merge.py b/anndata/_core/merge.py
index 874d89575..41626a68f 100644
--- a/anndata/_core/merge.py
+++ b/anndata/_core/merge.py
@@ -1007,12 +1007,6 @@ def axis_indices(adata: AnnData, axis: Literal["obs", 0, "var", 1]) -> pd.Index:
     return getattr(adata, f"{axis_name}_names")
 
 
-def axis_size(adata: AnnData, axis: Literal["obs", 0, "var", 1]) -> int:
-    """Helper function to get adata.shape[dim]."""
-    ax, _ = _resolve_axis(axis)
-    return adata.shape[ax]
-
-
 # TODO: Resolve https://github.com/scverse/anndata/issues/678 and remove this function
 def concat_Xs(adatas, reindexers, axis, fill_value):
     """
diff --git a/anndata/tests/test_awkward.py b/anndata/tests/test_awkward.py
index c5f58ab86..3344186b7 100644
--- a/anndata/tests/test_awkward.py
+++ b/anndata/tests/test_awkward.py
@@ -65,8 +65,8 @@
         [ak.to_regular(ak.Array([["a", "b"], ["c", "d"], ["e", "f"]]), 1), (3, 2)],
     ],
 )
-def test_dim_len(array, shape):
-    """Test that dim_len returns the right value for awkward arrays."""
+def test_axis_len(array, shape):
+    """Test that axis_len returns the right value for awkward arrays."""
     for axis, size in enumerate(shape):
         assert size == axis_len(array, axis)
 
diff --git a/anndata/utils.py b/anndata/utils.py
index 97f6b2183..cba9b1ce2 100644
--- a/anndata/utils.py
+++ b/anndata/utils.py
@@ -387,8 +387,3 @@ def is_hidden(attr) -> bool:
             for item in type.__dir__(cls)
             if not is_hidden(getattr(cls, item, None))
         ]
-
-
-@deprecated("axis_len", FutureWarning)
-def dim_len(x, axis: Literal[0, 1]) -> int | None:
-    return axis_len(x, axis)