伐
fell, strike, attack, punish
Readings
On'yomi
- バツ
- ハツ
- カ
- ボチ
Kun'yomi
- き.る
- そむ.く
- う.つ
Meaning
伐 centers on forceful action against a target: cutting down, striking, attacking, or punishing. The meanings share the idea of bringing something down with deliberate force.
Most common words using 伐
20 of 28- 討伐とうばつ
subjugation (using military force); suppression; subduing
- 伐採ばっさい
felling timber; cutting down trees; logging; lumbering
- 殺伐さつばつ
brutal (atmosphere, society, etc.); savage; fierce; violent; bloodthirsty; stark
- 征伐せいばつ
conquest; subjugation; overcoming
- 間伐かんばつ
periodic thinning (e.g. forest)
- 伐るきる
to cut down (e.g. trees)
- 乱伐らんばつ
reckless deforestation; overcutting of forests
- 三韓征伐さんかんせいばつ
conquest of the three Koreas (legendary military invasion of the Korean kingdoms; 3rd century CE)
- 主伐しゅばつ
final cutting (of trees); regeneration cutting
- 伐倒ばっとう
felling
- 伐期ばっき
time for harvesting (of trees)
- 伐木ばつぼく
felling; logging
- 傘伐林さんばつりん
shelterwood forest
- 党同伐異とうどうばつい
narrow partisanship
- 北伐ほくばつ
Northern Expedition (China; 1926-1928)
- 南征北伐なんせいほくばつ
attacking in all directions
- 択伐たくばつ
selection cutting (of trees); selective cutting
- 攻伐こうばつ
subjugation; attacking; conquering
- 朝鮮征伐ちょうせんせいばつ
Imjin War (1592-1597)
- 木を伐るきをきる
to fell a tree
Study
Etymology
伐 combines 亻 (person) and 戈 (halberd, a weapon), suggesting a person wielding a weapon to strike or cut down. This is a standard semantic-component explanation.
Meaning mnemonic
A person 亻 holding a halberd 戈 is ready to fell a tree, strike an enemy, or attack. The weapon and the person together mean forceful action.
Reading mnemonic
For バツ, imagine a lumberjack swinging an axe to fell a tree with a loud 'bats!' sound: bats -> バツ, and the tree comes crashing down.