切る

Japanese

Etymology

⟨ki₁ru⟩ → */kjiru/ → /kiru/

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *kiru. Cognate with Miyako 切 (きぃー, ksïï), Okinawan 切ーん (ちーん, chīn), Yaeyama 切すん (きぃすん, kïsun).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) き​る (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Verb

切(き)る • (kiru) godan (stem 切(き)り (kiri), past 切(き)った (kitta))

1. to cut, to slice, to carve

   野(や)菜(さい)の切(き)り方(かた)

   yasai no kiri-kata

   how to cut vegetables

2. cut down, fell, chop down

   木(き)を切(き)る

   ki o kiru

   to cut down a tree

3. prune, trim, shear
4. cut flat things such as cloth or paper

   紙(かみ)をきれいに切(き)る

   kami o kirei ni kiru

   to cut paper nicely

5. cut a person with a sword, cut down, kill
6. separate from the main body, cut off, break away
7. perform an action as if by cutting
8. discontinue an action, cut off, break off, turn off, hang up

   電源(でんげん)を切(き)る

   dengen o kiru

   to cut off power → to power off

   電話(でんわ)を切(き)る

   denwa o kiru

   to hang up the phone

9. cut or sever connection with
10. cut off or divide by or as if by partition
11. perform an action boldly
12. go under, be less than (numerically)

    Synonym: 下回る (shitamawaru)

    1時間(いちじかん)を切(き)る

    ichi-jikan o kiru

    to be under one hour

13. to remove; to run out

    湯(ゆ)切(き)り

    yukiri

    draining of hot water

    髪(かみ)の水気(みずけ)を切(き)る

    kami no mizuke o kiru

    to remove the moisture from the hair

Conjugation

Synonyms

• (cut): 断(た)つ (tatsu)

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of "cut"): 繋(つな)ぐ (tsunagu, “connect”), 結(むす)ぶ (musubu, “tie”)
• (antonym(s) of "go under numerically"): 超(こ)える (koeru, “go over”)

Derived terms

Related terms

• 伐る (kiru): cut down
• 剪る (kiru): cut
• 截る (kiru): cut
• 斬る (kiru): kill

Suffix

切(き)る • (-kiru) 

1. finish, be through
2. perform an action thoroughly or decisively

Derived terms

References