折

音読おんよみ: セツ・シャク

訓読くんよみ:・おれる

画数かくすう: 7 strokes

部首ぶしゅ: 扌(てへん)

Meaning

Fold, break, bend, turn — This kanji is used for physically folding or breaking things, as well as turning directions or changing momentum.


  • る — to fold, to break
  • れる — to snap, to bend
  • 骨折こっせつ — bone fracture
  • 右折うせつ — right turn
  • 左折させつ — left turn
  • 折角せっかく — with effort; specially

折 combines the hand radical 扌 with the phonetic part 斤 (“axe”), originally representing the act of cutting or breaking something with the hand.

It is now used in various contexts — from physical actions like folding paper (折り紙) to abstract ideas like turning points in life or effort that was in vain (折角).

かみってつるつくりました。
I folded paper and made a crane.

えだれた。
The tree branch broke.

つぎかど右折うせつしてください。
Please turn right at the next corner.

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