Word
切手
Meaning in Englishstamp, postage stamp
Animated kanji stroke order
Word context
What it means
What does 切手 mean? It refers to a postage stamp used to pay for postal services. It is a small adhesive label issued by postal authorities that is affixed to mail to indicate payment of postage.
Main meanings
- Primary meaning is a postage stamp used on mail.
- In philatelic contexts it refers to stamps as collectibles and to stamp collecting discussions.
How to use it
Used on letters and parcels to show postage payment; formal and casual contexts alike; in catalogs and postal forms; in everyday conversation when referring to stamps.
Variants and close terms
- 郵便切手 yuubin kitte — standard postage stamps
- 記念切手 kinen kitte — commemorative stamps
- 普通切手 futsuu kitte — regular stamps
Composition
- 切 to cut; indicates a notion of a small, separable piece
- 手 hand; in compounds the second element often scopes the unit as a token or item
- the two together form a conventional term referring to a small paper piece affixed to mail to indicate postage payment
Etymology
切 means cut, 手 means hand; the compound kitte is a fixed reading in modern Japanese, illustrating how kanji compounds yield a pronunciation not obvious from the individual characters.
Origin
Meiji era late 19th century introduction of postage stamps as Japan modernized its postal system; stamps began circulating as official postal items.
Word class
noun (名詞)
Related words by kanji and components
N1
小切手
kogitte
cheque, check
N1
土手
dote
embankment, bank
N1
入手
nyuushu
obtaining, coming to hand
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
お手上げ
oteage
given in, given up hope
N1
勝手
katte
kitchen; one's way, selfishness
N1
噛み切る
kamikiru
to bite off, to gnaw through