1.
to mince, to chop finely
To cut food into small pieces.
玉ねぎを細かく刻む。
Mince the onion finely.
ニンジンを細く刻む。
Chop the carrot into thin pieces.
刻んだネギを味噌汁に入れる。
Put chopped green onion into the miso soup.
2.
to carve, to engrave
To cut or etch a design, pattern, or letters into a hard surface.
木に名前を刻んだ。
I carved my name into the tree.
石碑に名前が刻まれている。
Names are engraved on the stone monument.
この言葉を心に刻んでおきたい。
I want to engrave these words in my heart.
3.
to tick away (time)
For time to pass moment by moment.
時計が時を刻んでいる。
The clock is ticking away the time.
秒針が静かに時を刻んでいる。
The second hand is quietly ticking away the time.
新しい歴史を刻む瞬間だった。
It was a moment that carved a new page in history.
刻む has two main meanings: cutting food finely, and carving/engraving.
TRANSITIVITY:
- Type: Transitive (他動詞)
- Pattern: Xを刻む
COMMON EXPRESSIONS:
- 細かく刻む (to chop finely)
- 時を刻む (to tick away time)
- 心に刻む (to engrave in one's heart, to remember deeply)
- 歴史に刻む (to be recorded in history)
COOKING VOCABULARY:
- 刻みネギ (chopped green onion)
- 刻み海苔 (shredded nori seaweed)
- みじん切り (dicing, similar to 刻む)