face; working face
Mining term for the exposed surface of a mine or tunnel where excavation is actively taking place.
The miners dug coal at the working face.
We check the condition of the face before starting work.
Standard kanji spelling, especially in mining contexts.
Alternate spelling with okurigana; less common but still used.
Rare variant; 端 can be read は in this compound.
Rare variant with okurigana.
Compound of 切る (kiru, 'to cut') and 羽 (ha, 'wing' or 'edge'), here meaning the cutting edge or face of a mine. The reading は for 羽/端 is an older nominal form.