kiriito de nendo o kiru.

I cut the clay with a cutting wire.

Breakdown of kiriito de nendo o kiru.

• を: direct object particle
• で: means particle
• 切きる: to cut
• 粘土ねんど: pottery clay

Questions & Answers about kiriito de nendo o kiru.

How is this sentence read?

It is read:

きりいと で ねんど を きる。

In normal Japanese writing, it would usually appear without spaces:

切り糸で粘土を切る。

The spaces here are just to help learners see the parts more easily.

What does 切り糸 mean, exactly?

切り糸 is a noun meaning a cutting string/thread/wire, especially a string or wire used to slice something like clay.

It is made from:

• 切り = the stem of 切る (to cut)
• 糸 = thread/string

So the word literally has the sense of cutting thread/string.

Why is で used after 切り糸?

で marks the means, method, or tool used to do an action.

So:

• 切り糸で = with a cutting wire/string
• using a cutting wire/string

This is a very common use of で.

Examples:

• はしで食べる = eat with chopsticks
• ペンで書く = write with a pen