To Be Scattered
To Get Scattered, To Scatter
intransitive verb, godan verb
Because the hiragana ends with an う sound, you know this word is a verb. The kanji itself means scatter so the verb vocab version is to be scattered or to get scattered.
散る is an intransitive verb, meaning something is scattering on its own. It's commonly used to describe when things like petals or leaves fall, fluttering down and scattering across the ground. It can also be used more abstractly, such as a crowd suddenly dispersing, your concentration breaking, your dreams falling apart, or even a soldier "falling" in battle.
You know 散る is intransitive because you rue (る) your decision not to go see the cherry blossoms when they were in bloom; now the petals have all scattered to the wind and you've missed your chance. Darn.
Think about something scattering. That something is cheese (ち), scattering all over the floor, going everywhere, getting in everything. Ugh, you hate how cheese scatters, don't you?
気が散るから、テレビを消して作業をしよう。
Because it's distracting, let's turn off the TV and get to work.
サクラの花が風に散って、地面にピンクのカーペットができました。
The cherry blossoms scattered in the wind, creating a pink carpet on the ground.
火花が散り、少しだけ火の粉が飛んできました。
Sparks scattered, and a few embers flew towards me.
色づいた葉っぱが散る様子は、まるで恋人との別れのように、切なくて美しい。
The way the colored leaves fall is like saying goodbye to a lover, painful and beautiful.