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Could someone explain the difference between 姿{すがた} and 形{かたち}?

I've looked up both words, but I'm still not clear on what the distinction is,
or how much overlap there is between the two. My mental concept right now is
that 形 represents the "outline" or "shape" of something, and 姿 represents the
features within the shape. I'm afraid this might be terribly wrong!

_(I'm also curious about 姿形, but I'm not sure I should include it in this
question.)_

Can anyone help?
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2012-12-20T10:48:46.433
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2012-12-20T12:43:48.107
2012-12-20T11:10:25.163
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word-choice
What's the difference between 姿{すがた} and 形{かたち}?
姿 almost always refers to a person's appearance in a kind of poetic sense.
Usually when you refer to 姿 you're referring to some kind of beauty or special
quality to someone's appearance. It's possible to use this to describe an
object, but as I mentioned it takes on a little bit more of a poetic quality.
For example:

> [(4)物のかたち。ありさま。
> 「―の美しい山」](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch/0/0ss/110299500000/)

形 on the other hand is a simple word referring to shape. You can use 形 with
just about anything and it doesn't carry any extra baggage along with it. So
for example you could normally say 携帯電話の形 but not 携帯電話の姿. The latter is only
possible when you're deliberately trying to evoke a certain feeling or image
around an inanimate object. 形 can also be used in more metaphorical ways and
with other nuances, but in terms of how it's different from 姿, you can think
of it in terms of people and general shape.
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2012-12-20T12:30:26.847
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2012-12-20T12:43:48.107
2012-12-20T12:43:48.107
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