To rise to one's feet; to stand up; to be standing; also to stand on end (hair) or to stick up.
朝、目覚ましが鳴って彼はベッドから立った。
In the morning the alarm rang and he got up from bed.
子どもが初めて自分で立った。
The child stood up by themselves for the first time.
寒さで毛が立った。
The hairs stood on end from the cold.
釘が板から少し立っているので気をつけてください。
A nail is sticking up from the board a little, so be careful.
To be situated or to stand (in a particular place); to be located.
あの古い神社は町の中心に立っている。
That old shrine stands in the center of town.
高いビルが海岸線に立っている。
Tall buildings stand along the coastline.
彼の家は駅の近くに立っている。
His house is located near the station.
To put oneself in a position or role; to take up a post or to take the lead.
彼はプロジェクトの先頭に立った。
He took the lead of the project.
彼女は被害者の立場に立って話を聞いた。
She listened from the victim's standpoint.
その会社は環境問題への対応に率先して立つべきだ。
The company should take the initiative in responding to environmental issues.
To leave or set off in order to do something (somewhat literary/old-fashioned).
彼は仕事のために先に立った。
He left earlier for work.
用事があって町へ立った。
I went into town on an errand.
To depart or set off on a journey; often written with the kanji 発つ.
明日早朝、東京を発つ予定です。
I'm scheduled to leave Tokyo early tomorrow morning.
船は正午に港を発った。
The ship departed the port at noon.
彼は留学のため日本を発った。
He left Japan to study abroad.
To become stuck or lodged (into something), as with an arrow, thorn, or needle; to pierce or embed.
魚の骨がのどに立ってしまって痛い。
A fish bone is stuck in my throat and it hurts.
歩いていると靴底に小さな針が立った。
While walking, a small thorn got stuck in my shoe sole.
To arise or form (of mist, steam, waves, smoke, etc.); to begin to blow (wind).
朝靄が谷間に立っている。
Morning mist is rising in the valley.
お湯を入れると湯気が立った。
Steam rose when I poured in the hot water.
To spread (rumors, reputation, etc.); to become widely known.
新しい噂が町中に立った。
A new rumor started circulating around town.
彼の評判が業界に立ち始めた。
His reputation began to spread through the industry.
To stand for election; to run (as a candidate).
彼は市長に立つと表明した。
He announced he would run for mayor.
次の選挙で立つ人はまだ決まっていない。
It hasn't been decided who will run in the next election.
To take action; to rise up; to rouse oneself (often written 起つ).
彼は不正を見て黙っていられず、ついに立った。
He couldn't stay silent about the wrongdoing and finally acted.
困っている人を助けるために立つべきだ。
One should step forward to help people in need.
To have an erection; to become erect (colloquial, often sexual).
彼は映画のある場面を見て勃ったと言っていた（口語表現）。
He said he got an erection watching a certain scene in the movie (colloquial).
To be established or formed (a policy, plan, objective, etc.).
新年度の計画がようやく立った。
The new fiscal year's plan has finally been drawn up.
プロジェクトの基本方針が立ってから作業を始めた。
We started work after the project's basic policy was established.
To be valid or hold up (of an argument, evidence, logic); to make sense.
彼の主張は事実に基づいていてよく立っている。
His claim is well-founded and holds up against the facts.
その言い訳は立たないから、信じられない。
That excuse doesn't hold up, so it's unbelievable.
To be sustained or maintained (of a livelihood, business, reputation); to survive or be preserved.
あの店は少人数でなんとか生活が立っている。
That shop manages to make a living with a small staff.
良い評判があって会社は何とか立っている。
Thanks to a good reputation, the company manages to stay afloat.
To begin (of a season); to mark the start of a season.
春が立ち、桜が咲き始めた。
Spring has begun and the cherry blossoms have started to bloom.
To be held (of a market); to have stalls set up (a market taking place).
毎週日曜に駅前で朝市が立つ。
A morning market is held in front of the station every Sunday.
To be shut or closed (of a door, sliding paper door, etc.) — a usage sometimes dialectal or archaic.
日が暮れると箪笥の前の障子が立って店が閉まったように見えた。
When evening fell, with the sliding screens shut in front of the shop it looked as if the store had closed.
To be the result of a division (i.e., to come out as a certain amount when something is divided).
１００円を３人で分けると一人あたり３３円が立つ（端数が出る）。
If you split 100 yen among three people, each ends up with 33 yen (with a remainder).