氷柱(つらら)

つらら
noun
icicle
weather
1. icicle
A hanging piece of ice formed when dripping water freezes. Commonly seen hanging from eaves, cliffs, and other overhangs in cold weather.
軒先(のきさき)に氷柱(つらら)が下(さ)がっている。
Icicles are hanging from the eaves.
子供(こども)たちが氷柱(つらら)を折(お)って遊(あそ)んでいた。
The children were playing by breaking off icicles.
厳(きび)しい寒(さむ)さが続(つづ)き、滝(たき)が凍(こお)って巨大(きょだい)な氷柱(つらら)になっていた。
The severe cold continued, and the waterfall had frozen into an enormous icicle.

Pronunciation

The kanji 氷柱(つらら) literally means "ice pillar," but the native Japanese reading つらら is an irregular (ateji-style) reading. The word can also be read ひょうちゅう in scientific or formal contexts, where it means "ice pillar" or "ice column" more broadly.

Usage

A seasonal word (季語(きご)) associated with winter in haiku. 氷柱(つらら) evokes the beauty and severity of winter in Japanese literature and culture.

Common collocations

Related Words

Related: 霜柱(しもばしら) (frost pillars)
Related: 樹氷(じゅひょう) (rime ice)
general
Added 2026.2.24 16:29 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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