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縁切り (えんきり) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Freq. Frequency Top 100,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
separation ; divorce ; severing of connections
Refers to the act of cutting off a relationship, especially a marriage or close personal tie. Can be used literally or figuratively. Often appears in compounds like 縁切り寺 (a temple where women could seek divorce in the Edo period).
悪わる い 仲なか 間ま と 縁えん 切き り する の は 難むずか しい 。
It's hard to cut ties with bad friends.
Kanji 縁 affinity, relation, connection Similar words 離り 婚こん 離婚 specifically means legal divorce, while 縁切り is a broader term for severing any relationship, including informal or emotional separation.
絶ぜつ 縁えん 絶縁 also means cutting off a relationship, but it often implies a more formal or complete disconnection, sometimes used in family or business contexts.
Etymology Compound of 縁 (en, 'bond, relationship') and 切り (kiri, 'cutting'), from the verb 切る (kiru, 'to cut'). The term has been used since the Edo period, notably in the context of 縁切り寺 (enkiri-dera), temples that helped women obtain divorces.
