裂ける

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 裂ける is read as さける and means “to tear” and “to split”.
• Basic usage: It describes a paper bag tearing and a lightning-struck trunk splitting vertically.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Key distinction: 裂けていた
  • It is intransitive for both thin material tearing and solid material splitting. 裂けていた presents the resulting state.