彫る

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 彫る is a godan transitive verb read ほる, meaning to carve or engrave a pattern, writing, or shape in material such as wood or stone. Its past form is 彫った, and its connective form is 彫って.
• Basic usage: It can describe carving a design into a board or shaping stone into a sculpture.
  • 職人は木の板に花の模様を彫った。 says that the artisan carved a floral pattern into a wooden board; 石を彫って作った鳥の像が庭に置かれている。 says that a bird statue carved from stone is placed in the garden.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 板に模様を彫る
  • に marks the board as the surface, while を marks the floral pattern as what was carved.
• 石を彫って作る
  • を marks stone as the material being carved, and the て-form links that method to the resulting statue.
• 彫る and 掘る
  • Both are read ほる, but 彫る carves a design or form, while 掘る digs into soil or makes a hole.