きる (切る・着る): One Sound, Two Verbs (with Examples)

Why one sound has two meanings

Unlike かける, where many meanings flow from a single core image, きる is not one verb stretched thin. It's a genuine pair of homophones — two separate words that happen to be pronounced the same. The kanji keep them apart: 切る (the "cut" radical) and 着る (the "clothing/arrive" kanji). Mix up the kanji and you've written a different word.

The most important thing to lock in early is that they conjugate differently. 切る is a Group 1 (う-)verb, so it follows the pattern of 書く and 買う. 着る is a Group 2 (ru-)verb, so it follows 食べる and 見る. Get the group wrong and the te-form, negative, and polite forms all come out wrong. We'll line them up side by side at the end — for now, just remember: 切る cuts, 着る covers your body.

The meanings, most common first

1. To cut (切る)

2. To cut (paper, hair, nails) (切る)

3. To hang up the phone (電話を切る)

4. To switch off (スイッチを切る)

5. To wear (shirt, jacket — upper body) (着る)

6. To put on a coat / overall clothing (着る)

Notice how the past tenses already split the two verbs apart: 切る → 切った (う-verb), but 着る → 着た (ru-verb). The sounds are close (きった vs きた — note the small っ!), but the rules behind them are different.

Common collocations worth memorizing

These fixed phrases are worth learning as whole chunks. The kanji column tells you instantly which verb you're dealing with:

Kanji & related verbs

The kanji are your safety net here, so learn them as a pair:

• 切る — the "cut" kanji (切, also in 親切 kindness and 大切 important). This is your cutting / switching-off / hanging-up verb.
• 着る — the "wear/arrive" kanji (着, also in 到着 arrival). This is your clothing verb.

Japanese also uses different verbs for different clothing depending on where it goes on the body — don't try to use 着る for everything:

• 着る (きる) — shirts, jackets, dresses, and clothing in general (upper body / whole outfit)
• はく — trousers, skirts, socks, shoes (anything you put on the lower body / feet)
• かぶる — hats and caps (things that go over your head)
• かける — glasses (眼鏡をかける)

So a fully dressed Yattan might シャツを着て、ズボンをはいて、帽子をかぶって、眼鏡をかける — four different verbs in one outfit.

切る vs 着る — the trap

Same sound, but everything else differs. The biggest practical difference is the verb group, because it changes every conjugation:

The te-form is the cleanest test. 切る is an う-verb ending in る with a consonant-style る, so it becomes 切って (small っ). 着る is a ru-verb, so you just drop る: 着て. If you ever hear きって vs きて, that tiny pause tells you which verb (and which kanji) is meant.

Quick recap

• きる = two verbs, not one: 切る (cut) and 着る (wear).
• 切る is a Group 1 う-verb (切って, 切らない); also means switch off (スイッチを切る) and hang up (電話を切る).
• 着る is a Group 2 ru-verb (着て, 着ない) for tops and overall clothing.
• Clothing splits across verbs: 着る (tops), はく (bottoms/shoes), かぶる (hats), かける (glasses).
• The kanji are the giveaway — 切 = cut, 着 = wear.

Your turn

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