切る

Japanese

Kanji in this term
切
き Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
斬る伐る截る

Etymology

⟨ki₁ru⟩ → */kjiru/ → /kiru/

From Old Japanese,^[1]^[2] 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 [kíꜜrù] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2]
(Keihan) きる [kìrú] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [kʲiɾɯ̟]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「切る」

Stem forms
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)	切る	きる	`[kíꜜrù]`
Imperative (命令形)	切れ	きれ	`[kíꜜrè]`
Key constructions
Passive	切られる	きられる	`[kìráréꜜrù]`
Causative	切らせる	きらせる	`[kìráséꜜrù]`
Potential	切れる	きれる	`[kìréꜜrù]`
Volitional	切ろう	きろー	`[kìróꜜò]`
Negative	切らない	きらない	`[kìráꜜnàì]`
Negative perfective	切らなかった	きらなかった	`[kìráꜜnàkàttà]`
Formal	切ります	きります	`[kìrímáꜜsù]`
Perfective	切った	きった	`[kíꜜttà]`
Conjunctive	切って	きって	`[kíꜜttè]`
Hypothetical conditional	切れば	きれば	`[kíꜜrèbà]`

Verb

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

Japanese verb pair
active	切る
mediopassive	切れる

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
cut down, fell, chop down
木(き)を切(き)る
ki o kiru
to cut down a tree
prune, trim, shear
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
cut a person with a sword, cut down, kill
separate from the main body, cut off, break away
perform an action as if by cutting
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
cut or sever connection with
cut off or divide by or as if by partition
perform an action boldly
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
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

Conjugation of "切る" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	切ら	きら	kira
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	切り	きり	kiri
Shūshikei ("terminal")	切る	きる	kiru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	切る	きる	kiru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	切れ	きれ	kire
Meireikei ("imperative")	切れ	きれ	kire
Key constructions
Passive	切られる	きられる	kirareru
Causative	切らせる切らす	きらせるきらす	kiraseru kirasu
Potential	切れる	きれる	kireru
Volitional	切ろう	きろう	kirō
Negative	切らない	きらない	kiranai
Negative continuative	切らず	きらず	kirazu
Formal	切ります	きります	kirimasu
Perfective	切った	きった	kitta
Conjunctive	切って	きって	kitte
Hypothetical conditional	切れば	きれば	kireba

Classical conjugation of "切る" (ラ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	切ら	きら	kira
Continuative (連用形)	切り	きり	kiri
Terminal (終止形)	切る	きる	kiru
Attributive (連体形)	切る	きる	kiru
Realis (已然形)	切れ	きれ	kire
Imperative (命令形)	切れ	きれ	kire
Key constructions
Negative	切らず	きらず	kirazu
Contrasting conjunction	切れど	きれど	kiredo
Causal conjunction	切れば	きれば	kireba
Conditional conjunction	切らば	きらば	kiraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	切りき	きりき	kiriki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	切りけり	きりけり	kirikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	切りつ	きりつ	kiritu
Perfect tense (natural event)	切りぬ	きりぬ	kirinu
Perfect-continuative tense	切れり切りたり	きれりきりたり	kireri kiritari
Volitional	切らむ	きらむ	kiramu

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

裏切る (uragiru): betray, double-cross
区切る, 句切る (kugiru): punctuate, cut off
仕切る (shikiru): partition, divide
千切る (chigiru): cut up fine, pick
値切る (negiru): drive a bargain, haggle
封切る (fūkiru, fūgiru): release
間切る (magiru): plow through
見切る (mikiru): see everything, abandon
横切る (yokogiru): cross, traverse
打ち切る, 打切る (uchikiru): stop, terminate, abort
買い切る (kaikiru): buy up
掻き切る, かき切る (kakikiru): cut, slit
貸し切る (kashikiru): reserve, charter
掻っ切る (kakkiru): cut, slit
噛み切る, かみ切る (kamikiru): bite off, gnaw through
借り切る (karikiru): reserve
食い切る (kuikiru): bite through, eat up
困り切る (komarikiru): be greatly perplexed
締め切る閉め切る (shimekiru): close up, shut up
澄み切る (sumikiru): be serene
擦り切る, 摩り切る, 擦切る (surikiru): cut by rubbing, wear out
叩き切る, たたき切る (tatakikiru): mangle, hack down
立て切る (tatekiru): close tight
突っ切る (tsukkiru): cross, go across
詰め切る, 詰切る (tsumekiru): be or remain always on hand
取り切る, 取切る (torikiru): take completely, block off
苦り切る (nigarikiru): look disgusted
逃げ切る (nigekiru): get away, manage to hold on
捩じ切る, 捩切る (nejikiru): twist off
乗っ切る (nokkiru): (archaic) overcome, get through
乗り切る (norikiru): weather, get over
剪み切る, 挟み切る (hasamikiru): nip off, snip
払い切る (haraikiru): pay off completely
踏み切る (fumikiru): make a bold start, take a plunge
振り切る (furikiru): shake off, shake free from
守り切る (mamorikiru): hold on to something
持ち切る (mochikiru): hold all the while
焼き切る (yakikiru): burn off
寄り切る (yorikiru): (sumo) force someone out of the ring
割り切る, 割切る (warikiru): divide without residue, solve, comprehend
押し切る, 押切る (oshikiru): face down the opposition
思い切る (omoikiru): give up all thoughts of, abandon
噛み切る, かみ切る (kamikiru): bite off, gnaw through
断ち切る, 断切る, 截ち切る, 裁ち切る (tachikiru): cut apart
ちょん切る (chongiru): chop something off
ぶった切る, 打った切る, 打っ手切る (buttagiru): chop
息急き切る, 息せき切る (ikisekikiru): pant, gasp
取り仕切る, 取仕切る (torishikiru): run or operate a business
打っ千切る (butchigiru): win by a wide margin
食い千切る (kuichigiru): bite off
角に切る (kaku ni kiru): cut into squares
縁を切る (en o kiru): get a divorce, sever connections
風を切る (kaze o kiru): go flying along
首を切る (kubi o kiru): decapitate, dismiss, fire from a job
句を切る (ku o kiru): punctuate a sentence
芯を切る (shin o kiru): trim a wick
手を切る (te o kiru): cut off a relationship
波を切る (nami o kiru): cut one's way through the waves
封を切る (fū o kiru): break the seal
髪を切る, 髮を切る (kami o kiru): cut hair
しらを切る, 白を切る (shira o kiru): feign ignorance
せきを切る, 堰を切る, 関を切る (seki o kiru): break a dam and gush forth
切符を切る (kippu o kiru): punch a ticket
口火を切る (kuchibi o kiru): start a conversation
十字を切る (jūji o kiru): make the sign of the cross
啖呵を切る (tanka o kiru): speak sharply
手刀を切る (tegatana o kiru): (sumo) make ceremonial hand movement
電源を切る (dengen o kiru): turn off power
電話を切る (denwa o kiru): hang up a telephone
見得を切る (mie o kiru): assume a posture, pose
身銭を切る (mizeni o kiru): use one's own money
火蓋を切る (hibuta o kiru): start
自腹を切る (jibara o kiru): pay for with your own money
シャッターを切る (shattā o kiru): release a camera shutter
スタートを切る (sutāto o kiru): make a start
テープを切る (tēpu o kiru): breast the tape
パーティションを切る (pātishon o kiru): (comp) partition
メンチを切る (menchi o kiru): stare at, glare at
大見得を切る (ōmie o kiru): declare impressively
肩で風を切る (kata de kaze o kiru): swagger about
大根を繊に切る (daikon o sen ni kiru): cut a radish into fine strips

Related terms

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

Suffix

切(き)る • (-kiru)

finish, be through
perform an action thoroughly or decisively

Derived terms

出切る (dekiru): be out of, have no more at hand
言い切る (iikiru): declare, assert
売り切る (urikiru): sell out, sell off
出し切る (dashikiru): use up, do one's best
使い切る, 遣い切る (tsukaikiru): use up, exhaust
疲れ切る (tsukarekiru): be exhausted, be tired out
付き切る (tsukikiru): be in constant attendance
張り切る (harikiru): be in high spirits, be full of vigor
冷え切る (hiekiru): become completely chilled
やり切る (yarikiru): complete decisively, do to completion
読み切る (yomikiru): finish reading, read through
弱り切る (yowarikiru): faint, be exhausted
成り切る (narikiru): turn completely into, become completely
割り切る (warikiru): divide without a remainder
分かり切る, 分り切る (wakarikiru): be evident, be obvious
跡切る (togiru)

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]

[2]