Translation

割る / 切り裂く / 固くくっつく

Meaning

Cleave is unusual because it can mean two nearly opposite things. Cleave something means split or cut it apart. Cleave to something means cling firmly to it, often in literary, religious, or formal writing. The preposition to is the learner's safety signal.

Examples

• 斧が丸太を二つに割りました。
  The axe cleaved the log in two.
• その共同体は古い慣習を固く守りました。
  The community cleaved to its old customs.