杭(くい)

くい

noun

stake; pile; post

tool

1. stake; pile; post

A pointed length of wood, metal, or concrete driven into the ground as a support, marker, or foundation.

杭(くい)を打(う)つ。

To drive a stake.

土地(とち)の境界(きょうかい)に杭(くい)を立(た)てた。

I put up stakes at the land boundary.

建物(たてもの)の基礎(きそ)として、深(ふか)くまで杭(くい)を打(う)ち込(こ)んだ。

We drove piles deep down as the foundation for the building.

Used both for small ground stakes (tent pegs, boundary markers) and for large engineering piles used as building foundations.

Common collocations

杭(くい)を打(う)つ: to drive a stake
杭(くい)を打(う)ち込(こ)む: to drive a stake/pile in (deeper, more forceful)
杭(くい)を立(た)てる: to stand a stake up
基礎(きそ)杭(くい): foundation pile

Common expressions

でる杭(くい)は打(う)たれる: 'the stake that sticks out gets hammered down' — a well-known proverb meaning that people who stand out tend to be criticized or held back.

general

Added 2026.5.31 12:09 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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