1.
icicle
A hanging piece of ice formed when dripping water freezes. Commonly seen hanging from eaves, cliffs, and other overhangs in cold weather.
軒先に氷柱が下がっている。
Icicles are hanging from the eaves.
子供たちが氷柱を折って遊んでいた。
The children were playing by breaking off icicles.
厳しい寒さが続き、滝が凍って巨大な氷柱になっていた。
The severe cold continued, and the waterfall had frozen into an enormous icicle.
READING NOTE:
The kanji 氷柱 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) associated with winter in haiku. 氷柱 evokes the beauty and severity of winter in Japanese literature and culture.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 氷柱が下がる: icicles hang down
- 氷柱が溶ける: icicles melt
- 氷柱が落ちる: icicles fall