To Separate
To Keep Apart
transitive verb, godan verb
Remember how 離れる is "to separate," where something is just separating and you're not doing the separating? Well, this one has the same meaning, but now you're doing the separating. This word is 離す, and you know that you're doing the separating because if you don't, that person will sue (す) you for grabbing onto them and not letting go.
The reading comes from 離れる.
ごめん。いま手が離せないんだ。後でかけ直してもいいかな？
Sorry, I’m in the middle of something. I’ll call you back. Okay?