開墾

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The agricultural noun and する verb 開墾 (かいこん) means clearing and preparing uncultivated land for farming.
• Basic usage: Land can be 開墾して畑にする, while historical accounts discuss 湿地の開墾.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Clearing land for cultivation
  • The defining purpose is making land cultivable, not general construction work.