1.
fallen leaves, dead leaves
Leaves that have fallen from trees, especially in autumn. A word closely associated with the autumn season in Japanese culture and literature.
落ち葉を掃く。
Sweep up the fallen leaves.
公園の道が落ち葉で埋め尽くされている。
The park path is completely covered with fallen leaves.
子どもたちが色とりどりの落ち葉を拾い集めて、押し葉の工作を楽しんでいた。
The children were gathering colorful fallen leaves and enjoying making pressed-leaf crafts.
USAGE NOTE:
落ち葉 is a seasonal word (季語) associated with autumn. It evokes the beauty and melancholy of the autumn season and appears frequently in poetry and literature.
落ち葉焚き (burning fallen leaves) was once a common autumn activity in Japan, though it is now restricted in many areas due to environmental regulations.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 落ち葉を掃く (sweep fallen leaves)
- 落ち葉を拾う (pick up fallen leaves)
- 落ち葉焚き (burning fallen leaves)
- 落ち葉が舞う (fallen leaves dance in the air)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 枯れ葉: dried/withered leaf (emphasizes the dry, dead state)
- 紅葉: autumn foliage (leaves still on the tree, or the act of changing color)
- 落葉樹: deciduous tree