noun
mincing steps; short quick steps
Describes walking with very short, rapid steps, often with a slightly affected or delicate manner. Used in contexts like traditional dance, or to describe a hurried, shuffling gait.
彼女は刻み足で小走りに去っていった。
She scurried away with mincing steps.
日本舞踊では刻み足が基本の動きの一つだ。
In Japanese traditional dance, mincing steps are one of the basic movements.
小走り means a light trot or jog, while 刻み足 emphasizes the short, quick, almost shuffling quality of the steps.
Compound of 刻み (kizami, 'cutting into small pieces; mincing') + 足 (ashi, 'foot; step'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word literally suggests 'mincing steps'.