杭
Meanings
1
A pointed piece of wood or metal driven into the ground for support, marking, or construction. Common in fencing, foundations, and surveying.
We drove stakes along the garden boundary.
Many piles are lined up at the construction site.
2
abbreviationarchaic
Only when written 株
Archaic abbreviation of 株 (くいぜ). Refers to a tree stump. In modern Japanese, 切り株 or 株 (かぶ) is used instead.
See also: 株 (くいぜ)
In old documents, a tree stump is sometimes written as くい.
Usage patterns
- 〈場所〉に杭を打つto drive a stake into a place
They drove stakes into the ground to put up a fence.
- 杭を立てるto set up a marker stake
They set up a stake to mark the boundary line.
- 杭を抜くto pull out a stake
Since the construction was finished, they pulled out the stakes.
Expressions
- 出る杭は打たれるthe nail that sticks out gets hammered down · tall trees catch much wind