枯れ草・枯草・かれ草|かれくさkarekusa[0]heiban (flat)
こそうkosou
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Which spelling to use
枯れ草枯れ草 is the most common form and the recommended choice for beginners. Use this mixed kanji-and-kana spelling in your own writing.
枯草枯草 is less common than 枯れ草 and is written entirely in kanji. You may encounter it as a written variant, but beginners should use 枯れ草.
かれ草かれ草 is the least common of the three forms and uses mixed kanji and kana. Recognize it as a written variant, but beginners should use 枯れ草.
Definitions
- noundry grass; dead grass; hay; withered grass
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym干し草ほしくさNeutralHay: grass cut and dried for use as fodder. 「枯れ草」 is simply withered grass but can also mean hay, so the two overlap.
- Synonym乾草かんそうWrittenAnother writing of 「干し草」, read 「ほしくさ」: same meaning, but this form leans toward written/formal prose.
- Related馬草まぐさCasualColloquial word for fodder: grass or straw fed to horses and cattle; the focus is on its use as feed, not its state.
- Antonym若草わかくさWrittenWritten/formal word for tender young grass newly sprouted in spring; it too stands opposite 「枯れ草」.
- Antonym青草あおくさNeutralLush green grass — the counterpart of yellowed 「枯れ草」.
Use 「枯れ草」 for grass that has withered, as in 「枯れ草に火がつく」; grass cut and dried for fodder is usually 「干し草」, and 「馬草」 when feeding horses or cattle. The opposites are 「青草」 and 「若草」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
