割り切る

• Reading: わりきる
• Romaji: warikiru
• Kanji breakdown: 割 (katsu/waru) — to divide, to split; 切 (setsu/kiru) — to cut, to conclude
• Pronunciation: /wa.ɾi.ki.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To be decisive; to come to terms with; to accept a situation pragmatically and move on without lingering sentiment.

A Group 1 (godan) compound verb combining 割る (to divide) and 切る (to cut through completely). Together they convey cleanly severing an issue — drawing a firm line between two things (e.g. work and private life, feelings and action) and accepting the result without ambiguity. It implies mature rationalism over emotional entanglement.

Examples

1. 仕事は仕事と割り切って、プライベートとの境界を明確にした。 I drew a clear line between work and personal life, treating work strictly as work.
2. うまくいかなくても仕方がないと割り切れるようになった。 I've come to accept that things won't always work out, and I've made my peace with it.
3. 感情に流されず、合理的に割り切った判断が求められる場面だった。 It was a situation that called for a pragmatic, clear-headed decision free from emotion.

Usage Guide

Context: work-life balance, decision-making, emotional maturity, negotiations

Tone: pragmatic

Origin & History

Compound of 割る (waru — to divide) and 切る (kiru — to cut, to conclude decisively). The 切る component adds finality — the matter is not only divided but cleanly severed. This sense of clear-cut resolution is central to the word's meaning.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: General