断たつ

た

つ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

断つ · godan verb (-tsu)

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	断たつ	断たたない
Polite	断たちます	断たちません
Past polite	断たちました	断たちませんでした
Past	断たった	断たたなかった
Te-form	断たって	断たたないで
Desire	断たちたい	断たちたくない
Potential	断たてる	断たてない
Passive	断たたれる	断たたれない
Causative	断たたせる	断たたせない
Causative passive	断たたせられるalso 断たたされる	断たたせられないalso 断たたされない
Volitional	断たとう
Polite volitional	断たちましょう
Imperative	断たて	断たつな
Conditional	断たてば	断たたなければ
Tara conditional	断たったら	断たたなかったら

Meanings

godan verb (-tsu), transitive verb

sever; cut off

Physically or metaphorically cutting something so it is no longer connected. Common with objects like ropes, ties, or relationships.

彼かれは家か族ぞくとの縁えんを断たった。
He severed ties with his family.
その国くには敵てき国こくとの国こっ交こうを断たった。
That country cut off diplomatic relations with the enemy nation.

godan verb (-tsu), transitive verb

suppress; eradicate; exterminate

Forcefully stopping or eliminating something undesirable, such as pests, bad habits, or threats.

この薬くすりで害がい虫ちゅうを断たつことができる。
This medicine can eradicate the pests.
悪あくの根ねを断たたなければならない。
We must root out evil.

godan verb (-tsu), transitive verb

abstain from; give up

Deliberately stopping a personal habit or consumption, often for health or moral reasons. Common with 酒, たばこ, 甘いもの.

健けん康こうのために酒さけを断たつことにした。
I decided to give up alcohol for my health.
医い者しゃにたばこを断たつように言いわれた。
The doctor told me to quit smoking.

See all 133 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉との関かん係けいを断たつto cut off a relationship with someone
彼かれは友ゆう人じんとの関かん係けいを断たった。
He cut off his relationship with his friend.
命いのちを断たつto end one's own life
彼かれは絶ぜつ望ぼうから自みずからの命いのちを断たった。
He ended his own life out of despair.
酒さけを断たつto give up alcohol
健けん康こうのために酒さけを断たつことにした。
I decided to give up alcohol for my health.
たばこを断たつto quit smoking
医い者しゃに勧すすめられてたばこを断たった。
I quit smoking on my doctor's advice.
連れん絡らくを断たつto cut off all contact or communication
彼かの女じょは突とつ然ぜんすべての連れん絡らくを断たった。
She suddenly cut off all contact.
悪あく習しゅうを断たつto eradicate a bad habit or practice
会かい社しゃは長なが年ねんの悪あく習しゅうを断たつ方ほう針しんを示しめした。
The company announced a policy to eradicate its long-standing bad practices.

Expressions

食しょくを断たつto fast; to abstain from eating
退たい路ろを断たつcut off the retreat; burn one's bridges
快かい刀とう乱らん麻まを断たつcut the Gordian knot; solve a difficult problem decisively
章しょうを断たち義ぎを取とるinterpret a passage out of context; quote out of context
肉にくを切きらせて骨ほねを断たつlose a battle to win the war; incur damage to inflict greater damage

Kanji

断severance, decline, refuse
絶discontinue, sever, cut off
斷sever, cut off, interrupt

Related words

切きるN5sense 1
切る is the general verb for cutting with a blade or tool, while 断つ emphasizes completely severing a connection, tie, or supply.
やめるN4sense 3
止める simply means to stop or quit an action or habit, whereas 断つ implies a decisive, often difficult act of cutting it off entirely.
根こん絶ぜつ sense 2
根絶する is a formal verb meaning to eradicate something down to its roots, while 断つ can describe eradication with less emphasis on totality.
遮しゃ断だん sense 1
遮断する is a technical term for blocking or cutting off a flow (traffic, signals, supply), while 断つ is broader and can apply to relationships or habits too.
控ひかえるN2sense 3
控える means to hold back or moderate something, a softer notion than 断つ, which implies stopping completely and decisively.

Don't confuse with

断ことわるN3
断つ (たつ) shares the kanji with 断る but means to cut off or sever something (like a relationship or supply), not to refuse a request.
絶たやす
断つ means to cut off or sever something in a single decisive act (e.g. 縁を断つ), whereas 絶やす means to let something gradually die out or fail to keep it going.
裁たつN1
断つ (same reading as 裁つ) means to sever or cut off something abstract like ties or a supply, whereas 裁つ refers only to physically cutting cloth.

Word family· 10

断たち切きる
cut off; cut (cloth, paper, etc.) · sever (ties); break off (relations); give up (habit) · cut off (supply route); block (retreat); break up (network)
断たち切きり
cutting apart; something cut apart
塩しお断だち
abstinence from salt
断たち物もの
foods abstained from to have a wish granted
物もの断だち
abstinence; giving up something

Show 5 more

茶ちゃ断だち
abstaining from tea; giving up tea
酒さか断だち
swearing off alcohol; giving up drinking
化け粧しょう断だち
trimming (of paper); trim
思おもい断たつ
give up; abandon; renounce
断たち割わる
cut apart; split; divide · cut open

Written forms

断たつUsage38%
Standard kanji spelling for cutting off, abstaining, and suppressing.
絶たつUsage60%
Alternate kanji spelling; often used for severing relationships or eradicating.
たつUsage1%
斷たつUsage1%
search-only kanji form
Kyūjitai form; included for search compatibility.

Etymology

The kanji 断 and 絶 both convey cutting off or severing. The verb たつ is native Japanese and has been associated with these kanji for their overlapping meanings of disconnection and cessation.