1.
collection; recovery (of debts or payments)
The act of collecting money owed, especially debts. Can imply aggressive or persistent collection efforts.
借金の取り立てが厳しい。
The debt collection is harsh.
毎日取り立ての電話がかかってくる。
Collection calls come every day.
闇金の取り立てに悩まされている人が多い。
Many people are troubled by collection from loan sharks.
2.
freshly picked; freshly made; just harvested
Describes something that has just been picked, caught, or made. Emphasizes freshness.
取り立ての野菜は美味しい。
Freshly picked vegetables are delicious.
取り立ての魚を刺身にする。
To make sashimi from freshly caught fish.
朝取り立てのトマトは香りが違う。
Tomatoes freshly picked in the morning have a different aroma.
Has two distinct meanings that are easily distinguished by context. Sense 1 (debt collection) appears in financial and legal contexts, while sense 2 (freshness) appears with food and agricultural products.
SENSE 1 — COLLECTION:
- 取り立て屋: debt collector
- 取り立てが来る: the collector comes
- 厳しい取り立て: harsh collection
SENSE 2 — FRESHNESS:
Used as a modifier before nouns with の: 取り立ての魚, 取り立ての卵. This sense is always positive, emphasizing just-harvested quality.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 回収: recovery, collection — more formal, broader usage
- 新鮮: fresh — describes the quality itself, not the act of harvesting
- 採れたて: freshly harvested — similar to sense 2 but more casual
FORMATION:
取り立てる (to collect; to appoint) → 取り立て (noun form)