1.
to spare, to devote, to set aside
To allocate or devote time, effort, resources, or space for a particular purpose. Often implies carving out something from a limited supply.
時間を割いてくれた。
They spared time for me.
研究に多くの予算を割いた。
We devoted a large portion of the budget to research.
お忙しいところ時間を割いていただきありがとうございます。
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule.
2.
to tear, to rip apart
To tear or split something apart by pulling. A physical sense that is less common in modern everyday usage but appears in literary contexts.
布を手で割いた。
I tore the cloth apart by hand.
二人の仲を割くことはできない。
You cannot tear those two apart.
群衆を割いて前に進んだ。
I pushed through the crowd and moved forward.
Godan verb (く row: 割く → 割かない → 割いて). Not to be confused with the homophone 裂く, which focuses on tearing/splitting and is written with a different kanji.
Sense 1 is much more common in modern usage. The pattern ～を割く is typically used with 時間, 人手, 予算, or 紙面 (page space).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 時間を割く — to spare time
- 人手を割く — to allocate personnel
- ページを割く — to devote pages/space to
- 労力を割く — to devote effort