Translation guide
The English verb 'shave' covers removing hair from the body, cutting thin slices from a surface, and figurative uses. In Japanese, different verbs are used depending on what is being shaved and how.
To remove hair from the face, legs, head, etc., using a razor or similar tool.
The most common verb for shaving body hair, especially facial hair. Transitive verb.
毎朝ひげを剃る。
I shave my beard every morning.
I shaved my legs.
Emphasizes shaving off completely. Often used for shaving a beard or head.
I shaved off my beard.
Formal term for shaving the head, often in a religious context (e.g., becoming a Buddhist monk).
He became a monk and shaved his head.
To cut off thin layers from something like wood, ice, or food.
General verb for shaving, planing, or whittling down a material. Used for wood, pencils, ice, etc.
I sharpen a pencil (literally: shave a pencil).
I shave ice to make shaved ice.
Literally 'cut thinly'. Used when shaving food items like cheese or vegetables into thin slices.
Please shave the cheese (into thin slices).
To plane wood with a carpenter's plane. Specific to woodworking.
The craftsman shaves the wood with a plane.
To slightly reduce a number, cost, or time.
To come extremely close to touching or hitting something, often in a dangerous or narrow escape.
To graze, brush against, or shave past something. Implies a very light touch or near miss.
The car shaved the wall.
The bullet shaved his ear.
To pass extremely close, almost touching. Often used for vehicles or objects narrowly avoiding collision.
The truck shaved the guardrail.
剃る (そる) is specifically for shaving hair off the body. 削る (けずる) is for shaving material off objects like wood, ice, or pencils. Do not confuse them.
While 剃る can be used for shaving the head, it may sound blunt. Often, phrases like 頭を丸める (あたまをまるめる, literally 'make the head round') or 坊主にする (ぼうずにする, 'make a shaven head') are more natural for shaving one's head completely.
I shaved my head.
記録を0.1秒縮めた。
He shaved 0.1 seconds off the record.