1.
to cut open; to slash; to rip apart; to tear
To cut or tear something violently with a sharp instrument or forcefully. Can also be used figuratively for things that cut through silence, darkness, etc.
布を切り裂く。
To rip the cloth apart.
稲妻が夜空を切り裂いた。
Lightning tore through the night sky.
悲鳴が静寂を切り裂いた。
A scream ripped through the silence.
USAGE:
切り裂く implies a violent, forceful cutting or tearing motion. It is more dramatic than 切る alone. The figurative use with sounds, light, or silence cutting through something is very common in literary and journalistic writing.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 闇を切り裂く (to cut through the darkness)
- 静寂を切り裂く (to rip through the silence)
- 風を切り裂く (to slice through the wind)
GRAMMAR:
Godan verb (五段). Conjugation: 切り裂かない, 切り裂きます, 切り裂いた.