4
切手

Postage Stamp


Meaning

Postage Stamp, Stamp

Word Type

noun

Explanation

This is a pretty old word, and in the olden days, everything was cut by hand, including postage stamps. Having to cut thousands of stamps each day by hand sounds incredibly laborious, so maybe that's why this word came to be associated specifically with stamps.


Reading

きって

Explanation

You'd think that the reading for this would consist of the on'yomi readings, but human body parts (hand) do funny things to words. In this case, it's the kun'yomi readings of both the kanji. You should know the kun'yomi reading for 切 and 手 from the previous levels, meaning you should be able to remember the reading for this word fairly easily. Watch out for the small っ, though.


Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 切手をあつめる

    to collect stamps

    切手をなくす

    to lose a stamp

    切手をはる

    to affix a stamp

  • 切手コレクション

    a stamp collection

    切手コレクター

    a stamp collector

    切手サイズ

    the size of a postage stamp

  • 切手のシート

    a sheet of stamps

    切手のデザイン

    stamp designs

  • アニメ切手

    anime postage stamps

    オリジナル切手

    original postage stamps

    クリスマス切手

    Christmas postage stamps

Context Sentences

これはアメリカの切手です。

This is an American stamp.

四十円の切手を二つ下さい。

Please give me two 40 yen stamps.

主人は切手コレクターです。

My husband is a stamp collector.


Kanji Composition