Word
横切る
Meaning in Englishcross, traverse
Animated kanji stroke order
Sentence
Related sentences
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Word context
What it means
横切る means to cut across or cross over something, often by moving across it rather than along its edge.
Main meanings
- 1) Physical crossing: crossing a road, river, or path by moving across it, typically taking a shortcut
- 2) Crossing in front of someone or a line: moving through a queue or sequence, effectively cutting across
- 3) Figurative or descriptive usage: crossing boundaries or limits in writing or speech
How to use it
横切る is a transitive verb used to describe physically crossing an obstacle; the object is marked with を and it appears in both formal and casual contexts, including narrative, journalism, and descriptive prose.
Variants and close terms
- 横断する (おうだんする, oudansuru) – cross or traverse across something
- 通過する (つうかする, tsuuka suru) – pass through or go past a boundary
- 避ける (さける, sakeru) – avoid, a conceptual opposite
Composition
- 横: horizontal, side; across
- 切る: to cut, to sever
Etymology
Phonetic evolution: yokogiru is a native kun'yomi compound formed from よこ (yoko) and きる (kiru), with the standard verb ending る.
Origin
Origin: No single origin event; a native kanji compound formed from 横 and 切る, attested in classical Japanese and continued in modern usage.
Word class
verb (動詞), transitive (他動詞)
Word
Related words by kanji and components
N1
小切手
kogitte
cheque, check
N1
一切
issai
without exception, the whole
N1
打ち切る
uchikiru
to stop, to abort, to discontinue, to close
N1
押し切る
oshikiru
to have one's own way
N1
噛み切る
kamikiru
to bite off, to gnaw through
N1
切替
kirikae
exchange, conversion, switchover
N1
切れ目
kireme
break, pause, gap
N1
区切り
kugiri
an end, a stop, punctuation
N1
仕切る
shikiru
to partition, to divide, to mark off
Kanji