句く

noun, noun, used as a suffix

section of text; sentence; passage

Refers to a unit or stretch of wording in a written text, from a short sentence-like segment to a passage. In everyday writing, 文 or 段落 may be more specific depending on the exact unit.

• 文ぶん章しょうを短みじかい句くに区く切ぎって読よむ。

  Read the text by dividing it into short sections.

• 先せん生せいは本ほん文ぶん中ちゅうの難むずかしい句くに線せんを引ひいた。

  The teacher underlined a difficult passage in the text.

noun, noun, used as a suffix

phrase

Linguistic term for a phrase, especially in compounds such as 名詞句 and 動詞句.

• 「赤あかい花はな」は名めい詞し句くとして働はたらく。

  "Red flower" functions as a noun phrase.

noun, noun, used as a suffix

verse unit; poetic line

A unit of Japanese or Chinese verse, such as a 5- or 7-mora unit in Japanese poetry. Common in literary discussion and in terms like 上の句 and 下の句.

• 短たん歌かは五いつつの句くから成なる。

  A tanka consists of five verse units.

• 百ひゃく人にん一いっ首しゅでは、上かみの句くを聞きいて下しもの句くを取とる。

  In Hyakunin Isshu, players hear the first part of the poem and take the card with the latter part.

noun, noun, used as a suffix

haiku; opening verse of renga

Poetic use: 句 can refer to a haiku, often in 一句詠む, and also to the initial 17-mora verse of linked verse.

• 春はるの季き語ごを入いれて一いっ句く詠よんだ。

  I composed a haiku using a spring seasonal word.

• 連れん歌がの最さい初しょの句くは発ほっ句くと呼よばれる。

  The first verse of a renga is called the hokku.

noun, noun, used as a suffix

set expression; idiom; saying

Used for memorable or fixed wording, especially as a suffix in compounds such as 慣用句, 成句, 警句, and 名句.

• この慣かん用よう句くは直ちょく訳やくすると意い味みが分わかりにくい。

  This idiom is hard to understand if translated literally.

• 「油あぶらを売うる」は日本にほん語ごの成せい句くだ。

  "Abura o uru" is a set expression in Japanese.

noun, noun, used as a suffix

clause

Computing term for a clause in a formal language, especially database query language; often seen in compounds such as WHERE句.

• SQLのWHERE句うぇあくで検けん索さく条じょう件けんを指し定ていする。

  Specify the search conditions in the SQL WHERE clause.