Translation guide
The act of cleaning something by rubbing it hard, often with a brush or rough material. In Japanese, the most common way to express this is with the verb こする (kosuru) or its compound forms like みがく (migaku) for polishing, or more specific verbs depending on what is being scrubbed.
To clean a surface, object, or body part by rubbing it vigorously, often with a brush, cloth, or sponge.
The most direct and common verb for 'to scrub' or 'to rub'. It implies rubbing a surface with some force to clean it. Can be used for scrubbing floors, skin, stains, etc.
床をたわしでこする。
Scrub the floor with a scrubbing brush.
汚れをこすり落とす。
Scrub off the dirt.
Means 'to polish' or 'to scrub' in the sense of making something shiny and clean by rubbing. Often used for teeth, shoes, floors, etc. Implies a thorough cleaning that results in a shine.
General verb for 'to wash'. When combined with adverbs like ごしごし (goshi goshi, meaning 'scrubbing sound/action'), it conveys scrubbing. Often used for body parts or dishes.
背中をごしごし洗う。
Scrub one's back.
An onomatopoeic phrase meaning to scrub vigorously. Often used with a verb like 洗う or こする, or by itself as a light verb.
鍋をごしごしする。
Scrub the pot.
To remove or clean data, especially in computing or when erasing records.
Formal term for erasing or deleting data. Used in technical contexts for scrubbing data from a system.
データを完全に消去する。
Scrub the data completely.
Common verb for deleting files or records. Less forceful than 消去する but widely understood.
個人情報を削除する。
Scrub personal information.
To cancel or abandon something that was planned.
Means to cancel or call off an event or plan. Equivalent to 'scrub' in the sense of aborting a mission.
打ち上げを中止する。
Scrub the launch.
To call off or cancel something that was planned, often used in business or formal contexts.
会議を取りやめる。
Scrub the meeting.
こする focuses on the rubbing action to remove dirt, while みがく implies polishing to a shine. 洗う is general washing; add ごしごし to make it scrubbing. For body parts, 洗う is more natural than こする unless you are specifically rubbing hard.
Do not use こする for digital data scrubbing. Use 消去する or 削除する instead. こする is only for physical scrubbing.