刻む

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 刻む(きざむ) is a transitive verb for chopping an ingredient finely or engraving writing on a surface.
• Basic usage: It has different senses in chopping onions for cooking and carving names on a monument.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Piece size compared with 切る
  • 切る broadly means to cut, whereas 刻む in cooking focuses on cutting into small pieces.
• Conjugation
  • It is a godan verb with forms such as 刻んで and 刻んだ.