cut, cutoff, be sharp
Came from Chinese. It usually shows up when the kanji is joined to another, forming a compound word.
It is Japanese. It usually shows up when the kanji stands alone or is followed by hiragana.
The order matters: it is what makes handwriting come out legible, and it is how dictionaries index the character.
Visual decomposition, for recognising and comparing — not always the character's origin.
Where it appears is highlighted — the translation doesn't always make that visible.
大きい電池は売り切れなんですけど、小さいのはまだありますよ。
Ookii denchi wa urikire nan desu kedo, chiisai no wa mada arimasu yo.
We're out of the big batteries, but I still have the small ones.
公園の近くに着いた時、二人とも息を切らしていました。
Kouen no chikaku ni tsuita toki, futari tomo iki o kirashite imashita.
By the time they got close to the park, they were both out of breath.
君は、お手伝いさん、一切試してみる?
Kimi wa, otetsudai-san, hitokire tameshite miru?
And you, little helper — want to try a slice?
こんにちは。豚肉の薄切りをお願いします。
Konnichiwa. Butaniku no usugiri o onegai shimasu.
Good afternoon. I'd like some sliced pork, please.
大きい電池は売り切れなんですけど、小さいのはまだありますよ。
Ookii denchi wa urikire nan desu kedo, chiisai no wa mada arimasu yo.
We're out of the big batteries, but I still have the small ones.
勝手に電源が切れるし、バッテリーも全然もたないの。近いうちに完全に壊れそうだわ。
Katte ni dengen ga kireru shi, batterii mo zenzen motanai no. Chikai uchi ni kanzen ni kowaresou da wa.
It turns off on its own, the battery doesn't last at all. I think it's going to die completely one of these days.
Readings and meanings: KANJIDIC2 · Decomposition: KRADFILE · Both from Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, CC BY-SA 4.0 · data from 2026-10-22 · Strokes: KanjiVG, Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0