Translation guide
How to express 'cutting off' in Japanese, covering physical severing, stopping a flow, ending communication, and figurative disconnection.
To cut something off with a tool, separating it from a larger whole.
To cut off and drop; used for chopping off parts of something, like branches or a piece of food.
I cut off the branch.
To cut off or sever; more formal and technical, often used for cutting cables, limbs, or connections.
I cut off the power cable.
To cut off and separate; emphasizes detachment, like cutting off a part from the main body.
Please cut off that part from the main body.
To cut off a supply of water, electricity, gas, or similar.
To stop; the most common verb for turning off or cutting off a flow. Use with the object marked by を.
Please cut off the water.
I cut off the gas.
To cut off or block; used for interrupting a supply or flow, often in formal or technical contexts.
They cut off the electricity supply.
To cut off a phone call, either deliberately or due to a bad connection.
To cut someone off in conversation, interrupting their speech.
To cut off ties with someone, stop all communication.
To sever ties; a strong expression for cutting off a relationship completely.
I cut off ties with him.
To cut off a relationship; slightly more formal than 縁を切る.
To become incommunicado; describes a state where someone cuts off all contact without explanation.
To cut off a route, escape, or access.
切る (kiru) is the most general verb for cutting. 切断する (setsudan suru) is more formal and often implies a clean severing, used in technical contexts. 遮断する (shadan suru) specifically means to block or intercept a flow or path, not necessarily by cutting.
hang up the phone
block traffic
Avoid directly translating 'cut off' as 切りオフ or similar. Use the appropriate verb based on context. For example, 'cut off the water' is 水を止める, not 水を切る (which would mean physically cutting water).
The call got cut off when I entered the tunnel.
She cut me off and argued back.
We cut off relations with that company.
He suddenly cut off all contact.
倒木が道を塞いでいる。
A fallen tree is cutting off the road.