刻・剋|こくkoku[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounperiod of time (usu. a period of approx. two hours corresponding to one of the signs of the Chinese zodiac)
2. nouncarving; engraving; cutting; mincing
3. nounvictory
4. nounstrictness; cruelty

• Related刻むきざむNeutralA verb covering chopping or mincing, carving, and marking the passage of time, as in 「時を刻む」; 「刻」 is a noun, mostly the old time unit.
• Related刻みきざみNeutralA noun for notches or cut, shredded pieces; also a suffix showing increments, as in 「十円刻み」.

「刻」 alone usually means the old time unit, as in 「丑の刻」, and appears in 「刻一刻」. For the action use 「刻む」; for notches or intervals use 「刻み」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 昔むかしの時刻じこくの単位たんいで、およそ2時間じかん。
2. 物ものを彫ほったり、細こまかく切きったりすること。
3. 勝かつこと。
4. きびしく、むごいこと。