Proverb / Kotowaza
いたちの道切り
To completely lose touch with someone or break off an association.
a weasel's path-cutting
Quick Answer
To completely lose touch with someone or break off an association.
- Literal Image
- a weasel's path-cutting
- How to Use It
- Used to describe former friends or acquaintances with whom one has completely lost contact over time.
Meaning
This expression describes a situation where communication or social interaction with someone stops entirely. It refers to relationships that have been severed or people who have fallen out of contact, leaving one unaware of the other person's circumstances.
Literal Image
a weasel's path-cutting
How to Use It
Used to describe former friends or acquaintances with whom one has completely lost contact over time.
Tone
Reflective, expressing a sense of finality regarding a severed connection.
Examples
あんなに仲の良かった友人だったが、卒業以来いたちの道切りで、今どこで何をしているのかさえ分からない。
We were such good friends, but we completely lost touch after graduation, and now I don't even know where they are or what they are doing.
Learning Notes
Key Vocabulary
While the individual words are recognizable, the idiomatic meaning related to severed relationships is opaque.
いたち
いたち / itachi
weasel
道
みち / michi
path, road
切り
きり / kiri
cutting, severing
Usage Profile
Usage note: Do not use this to describe a physical roadblock; it strictly refers to social estrangement.
Misread Risk
Learners might interpret this as an animal crossing the road, missing the metaphor for a broken human relationship.
Search As
Related Proverbs
Origin
This expression is based on a folk belief that weasels never take the same path twice. Additionally, it stems from the superstition that a weasel crossing one's path brings bad luck and severs ties at that exact spot, which eventually came to symbolize losing all contact with a person.
Index
Topics, Situations, and Tags
Topics
Situations
Tags
Source Note
Where did this entry get its data from? The reference links are listed below. To understand how to read this section, see Data Sources.