切(き)り立(た)った

きりたった
pre-noun adjectival
steep, sheer, precipitous
nature
1. steep, sheer, precipitous
Describes a cliff, rock face, or slope that rises or drops almost vertically, as if cut with a blade. Used as an attributive modifier before nouns.
切(き)り立(た)った崖(がけ)。
A sheer cliff.
道(みち)の両側(りょうがわ)に切(き)り立(た)った岩壁(がんぺき)がそびえていた。
Sheer rock walls towered on both sides of the road.
切(き)り立(た)った断崖(だんがい)の上(うえ)から海(うみ)を見下(みお)ろした。
I looked down at the sea from atop a precipitous cliff.

The past-tense form of the compound verb 切(き)り立(た)つ (to rise steeply), used almost exclusively as an attributive adjective modifying nouns. The image is of rock that looks as though it has been cleanly cut (切(き)る) and stands upright (立(た)つ).

Common collocations

  • 切(き)り立(た)った崖(がけ): a sheer cliff
  • 切(き)り立(た)った岩(いわ): a steep rock face
  • 切(き)り立(た)った断崖(だんがい): a precipitous cliff
  • 切(き)り立(た)った山肌(やまはだ): a steep mountainside

Similar words

  • 険(けわ)しい: steep, rugged — more general; can also mean severe or stern
  • 急峻(きゅうしゅん)な: precipitous, very steep — formal, literary
  • 断崖絶壁(だんがいぜっぺき): sheer precipice — a set noun phrase for a cliff with no footholds

Related Words

Compare: 険(けわ)しい (steep, rugged)
Compare: 急峻(きゅうしゅん) (precipitous, very steep)
general
Added 2026.3.27 14:37 · Revised 2026.10.9 4:49
19500/19915_kiritatta