To mince, cut finely, or chop up (food or other items) into small pieces.
玉ねぎを細かく刻んでスープに入れる。
Finely chop the onion and add it to the soup.
にんにくを刻んでオリーブオイルで炒めると香りが出る。
If you mince garlic and sauté it in olive oil, it becomes fragrant.
刻んだパセリを料理の仕上げに散らす。
Sprinkle chopped parsley as a finishing touch on the dish.
To carve, engrave, chisel, or notch into wood, stone, metal, etc.
指輪の内側に二人のイニシャルを刻んだ。
I engraved the couple's initials on the inside of the ring.
古い碑には先祖の名前が刻まれている。
The old monument has the ancestors' names carved into it.
職人が木彫りの模様を丁寧に刻む。
A craftsman carefully carves a wooden pattern.
To tick away/time passing in small increments; to mark out a beat or rhythm (e.g., 'to mark time' or 'keep rhythm').
古い柱時計が静かに時を刻んでいる。
The old grandfather clock is quietly ticking away the time.
ドラムが力強くリズムを刻む。
The drums pound out a powerful rhythm.
彼女の心にはあの日の記憶が刻まれている。
The memory of that day is imprinted in her mind.
To etch into one's mind; to remember distinctly or imprint something strongly in memory.
あの日の出来事は一生心に刻んでおきたい。
I want to keep the events of that day etched in my heart for life.
教師の言葉が彼の胸に刻まれた。
The teacher's words were engraved in his heart.
戦争の悲惨さを忘れないように刻んでおくべきだ。
We should engrave the horrors of war so we do not forget them.
An archaic sense meaning to tattoo (to have a tattoo made); rarely used in modern Japanese.
古い文献では『刻む』が入れ墨を指す場合がある。
In old texts, 'kizamu' can sometimes refer to tattooing.
An archaic sense meaning to torment or inflict suffering (old usage).
古い史書には『刻む』が責め苦の意味で使われる例がある。
Some old histories use 'kizamu' in the sense of inflicting torment.