截
cut off, sever
Readings
On'yomi
- セツ
- サイ
Kun'yomi
- き.る
- た.つ
Meaning
截 centers on a decisive, forceful cut that separates or severs something completely.
Most common words using 截
- 直截ちょくせつ
direct; frank; straightforward; plain
- 前頭葉白質切截術ぜんとうようはくしつせっせつじゅつ
lobotomy; leucotomy; frontal lobotomy; frontal leucotomy
- 截るきる
to cut (e.g. cloth)
- 截拳道ジークンドー
Jeet Kune Do (martial art founded by Bruce Lee)
- 截断さいだん
cutting; severance; section; amputation; disconnection
- 截枝せっし
pruning tree branches to encourage new growth
- 截然せつぜん
clear; sharp; distinct; distinctive
- 截頭せっとう
cutting off the head
- 断截だんせつ
cutting; cutting off; severing
- 直截簡明ちょくせつかんめい
plain and simple; straightforward
- 簡明直截かんめいちょくせつ
simple and plain; frank, direct and unambivalent; straightforward
Study
Etymology
截 combines 戈 (halberd, cutting weapon) with 隹 (bird) and 土 (earth), suggesting a bird cut down to the ground by a weapon. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the modern form visually conveys cutting or severing.
Meaning mnemonic
Picture a sharp halberd (戈) slicing through a bird (隹) and pinning it to the ground (土). The bird is cleanly cut off and severed.
Reading mnemonic
For セツ, imagine a set of sharp blades cutting off a bird's flight: set -> セツ, and the severing action is quick and decisive.