切(き)り株(かぶ)

きりかぶ
noun
tree stump
1. tree stump; stump
The remaining base of a tree after it has been cut down.
切(き)り株(かぶ)に座(すわ)った。
I sat on a tree stump.
森(もり)の中(なか)にいくつもの切(き)り株(かぶ)が残(のこ)っていた。
Many tree stumps remained in the forest.
古(ふる)い切(き)り株(かぶ)からキノコが生(は)えていた。
Mushrooms were growing from an old tree stump.

切(き)り株(かぶ) refers to the part of a tree left standing in the ground after the trunk has been cut down.

WORD FORMATION:
切(き)り (from 切(き)る, to cut) + 株(かぶ) (stump, root stock). The 株(かぶ) component here means the base or root portion of a plant.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 切(き)り株(かぶ)に腰掛(こしか)ける: to sit on a stump
  • 切(き)り株(かぶ)を抜(ぬ)く: to pull out a stump
  • 古(ふる)い切(き)り株(かぶ): an old stump
  • 切(き)り株(かぶ)から芽(め)が出(で)る: sprouts growing from a stump

CULTURAL NOTE:
Tree stumps appear frequently in Japanese folktales and children's stories, often as resting spots for forest animals. The Aesop-derived story 「待(ま)ちぼうけ」 features a farmer who waits by a stump for another rabbit to crash into it.

general
Added 2026.3.7 18:34 · Revised 2026.3.29 16:57
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