裂 means “tear, split, rip”

さく · saku

Also: rend

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

さく, さける

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

レツ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 12 strokes

The story

Cloth (衣) cut into rows (列): fabric torn into strips. 裂く is to tear apart, 分裂 is a split, of a cell or a political party, and 破裂 is a burst, a pipe or a tire giving way.

Used in 裂く (saku, to tear), 分裂 (bunretsu, split/division), and 破裂 (haretsu, rupture/burst)

More from Crumble & Ruin

• 陥 fall into
• 滅 perish
• 腐 rot
• 砕 smash
• 朽 decay
• 毀 damage
• 潰 crush
• 綻 come apart
• 壊 break
• 崩 crumble
• 削 shave

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.