刻

音読おんよみ: コク

訓読くんよみ: きざむ

画数かくすう: 8

部首ぶしゅ: 刂（りっとう）

Meaning

Engrave / Carve / Mark Time

  • Basic forms
  • 刻む — to carve; to engrave; to chop / base form
  • 刻みます — carve; engrave / masu form
  • 刻んだ — carved; engraved / ta form
  • 刻んで — carve and … / te form
  • 刻まない — do not carve / negative
  • 刻めば — if (one) carves / conditional
  • 刻め — carve! / imperative
  • Common expressions
  • 歴史を刻む — carve one’s mark in history
  • 時間を刻む — time ticks by
  • 野菜を刻む — chop vegetables
  • More
  • 刻まれる — be carved; be engraved / passive
  • 刻んでいる — is carving; has engraved / state

刻む（きざむ） is a godan transitive verb. It is used both literally, for carving or chopping, and figuratively, for leaving a lasting mark on time, memory, or history.

  • 即刻そっこく — immediately; at once
  • 遅刻ちこく — being late; tardiness
  • 時刻じこく — time; schedule
  • 深刻しんこく — serious; grave
  • 彫刻ちょうこく — sculpture; engraving
  • 刻きざむ — to carve; to engrave

刻 combines the knife radical 刂 with 亥 (phonetic). It began as “making small cuts,” which broadened to “carve/engrave,” and by extension “mark time.”

大切たいせつな 言葉ことばを 心こころに 刻きざみました。
I engraved those important words into my heart.

つぎの電車でんしゃの時刻じこくを 調しらべましょう。
Let’s check the time of the next train.

時
Creates
時刻じこく — time; schedule
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