Translation guide
The English phrase "cut off" has many meanings. This guide organizes them by practical use, from physical separation to interrupting someone.
To cut something so that it becomes separated from what it was attached to.
General term for cutting off or detaching something. Used for both literal and figurative separation.
I cut the branch off the tree.
More formal or technical term for cutting off, severing. Often used for cables, limbs, etc.
I cut off the power line.
To cut off and let fall, like lopping off a branch or head.
He cut off the tree branch.
To disconnect or stop the flow of a utility or service.
To stop someone from continuing to talk.
To suddenly stop all contact with someone.
To physically prevent access or make a place unreachable.
To legally prevent someone from receiving an inheritance.
English 'cut off' is highly idiomatic. Direct translations like 切る (kiru) often don't work. Always consider the specific meaning first.
彼女が私を遮った。
She cut me off.
He cut his daughter out of the will.