枯れ葉

• 読み: かれは
• ローマ字: kareha
• 漢字の分解: 枯 (ko/ka) — wither, dry up | 葉 (you/ha) — leaf
• 発音: /ka.ɾe.ha/

意味

Dead leaf; fallen leaf; withered leaf. A leaf that has dried out and died, typically carpeting the ground in autumn or winter.

A compound combining 枯れる (to wither, die) and 葉 (leaf). Associated with the melancholy of late autumn and winter in Japanese literature and poetry. Often used metaphorically to describe something past its prime or the remnants of former life. Appears frequently in haiku as a kigo (seasonal word) for winter.

例文

1. 風が吹くたびに枯れ葉が舞い上がり、足元に積もっていった。
2. 枯れ葉を踏む乾いた音が、秋の深まりを告げていた。
3. 公園の池には枯れ葉が浮かんで、静かな秋の風情を醸し出していた。

使い方ガイド

場面: haiku, autumn imagery, nature writing, metaphor

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

From 枯れ (kare-, stem of 枯れる, 'to wither') and 葉 (ha/ba, 'leaf'). 枯れる derives from Old Japanese, expressing the loss of vitality in plants as winter approaches.

文化的背景

時代: Classical–Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal