枯(か)れ葉(は)

かれは

noun

dead leaves; dry leaves; fallen leaves

1. dead leaves; dry leaves; fallen leaves

Leaves that have dried up and fallen from trees or plants, especially in autumn and winter. A common seasonal image in literature and everyday language.

枯(か)れ葉(は)が舞(ま)っている。

Dead leaves are swirling in the air.

道(みち)に枯(か)れ葉(は)がたくさん落(お)ちていた。

There were lots of dead leaves on the road.

庭(にわ)の枯(か)れ葉(は)を集(あつ)めて焚(た)き火(び)をした。

I gathered the dead leaves in the yard and made a bonfire.

An evocative seasonal word strongly associated with late autumn and winter. In Japanese poetry and literature, 枯(か)れ葉(は) conveys transience, loneliness, and the passing of time. In everyday use, it simply refers to dried, fallen leaves.

Forms

枯(か)れ (withered, dried) + 葉(は) (leaf)

Common collocations

枯(か)れ葉(は)が舞(ま)う: dead leaves dance in the wind
枯(か)れ葉(は)を踏(ふ)む: to step on dry leaves
枯(か)れ葉(は)を集(あつ)める: to gather fallen leaves
枯(か)れ葉(は)の山(やま): a pile of dead leaves

Similar words

落(お)ち葉(ば): fallen leaves — emphasizes the act of having fallen; broader and includes fresh leaves that have just dropped
紅葉(もみじ): autumn leaves — focuses on colorful leaves still on trees or freshly fallen, with a positive aesthetic nuance
落葉(らくよう): leaf fall, defoliation — more formal/botanical term for the process of leaves falling

Related Words

Compare: 落(お)ち葉(ば) (fallen leaves)

Compare: 紅葉(もみじ) (autumn leaves)

Compare: 落葉(らくよう) (leaf fall, defoliation)

Related: 葉(は)っぱ (leaf)

Compare: 枯(か)れ枝(えだ) (dead branch)

general

Added 2026.3.29 21:11 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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