pick up

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 拾 has 9 strokes, the on-readings しゅう and じゅう, and the kun-reading ひろう. 拾う (ひろう) and 拾い読み (ひろいよみ) are used for picking something up or reading selectively.
• Basic usage: 拾う can mean picking up a fallen object or selecting remarks from a conversation; 拾い読み means reading selected parts of a text.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Picking up an object and selecting content to read
  • 落ちていた鍵を拾った means picked up a key that had fallen. 面白い言葉を拾う means selecting interesting remarks from a long conversation.
  • 報告書を拾い読みして means read selected parts of a report. 必要な数字だけメモした limits the subsequent note-taking to the necessary figures.