1.
to tear, to rip
To pull apart by force.
紙を裂く。
To tear paper.
布を手で裂いて包帯にした。
I tore the cloth by hand and used it as a bandage.
子供が絵本のページを裂いてしまって、母親が怒った。
The child tore a page of the picture book, and the mother got angry.
2.
to split, to divide
To separate into parts.
二人を裂く。
To separate two people.
仲のいい二人を裂くのはよくない。
It is not good to split up two people who are close.
戦争は多くの家族を裂き、深い悲しみをもたらした。
The war tore many families apart and brought deep sorrow.
裂く means to tear or split something apart by force.
TRANSITIVITY:
- Type: 他動詞 (transitive)
- Pair: 裂ける (intransitive, to be torn/split)
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 紙を裂く: to tear paper
- 布を裂く: to rip cloth
- 二人を裂く: to separate two people (figurative)
DON'T CONFUSE:
- 裂く: to tear, rip
- 咲く: to bloom (flowers) — same pronunciation, different meaning
- 割く: to spare (time/resources) — different kanji, same pronunciation