放つ

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 放つ is read as はなつ and is a transitive verb meaning to release a confined living thing or to emit light, odor, words, or another outward force.
• Basic usage: Releasing a recovered bird into a forest appears in 鳥を森へ放つ, while a jewel emitting blue light appears in 青い光を放つ.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Setting free or sending outward
  • Its senses connect freeing a held target with sending light, energy, or another force outward.
• Difference from 逃がす
  • The comparison verb is close in the sense of letting a captured being escape, but this word also extends broadly to emitting light, scent, or words.