grind, polish, scour, improve, brush (teeth)
磨 centers on rubbing a surface to change it: grinding, polishing, scouring, or brushing to make something smooth, clean, or better. The idea of improving through effort extends naturally to refining skills or character.
磨 combines 麻 (hemp) and 石 (stone). Historically, hemp fibers were rubbed against a stone to soften or polish them, giving the core idea of grinding or polishing.
Picture hemp 麻 being rubbed against a stone 石 to polish it. The stone grinds and scours the fibers, making them smooth and improved—just like brushing teeth or refining a skill.
For マ, imagine a mother polishing a stone with hemp: ma -> マ, and her grinding motion makes the surface shine.
to polish; to shine; to burnish; to scour; to scrub; to brush (teeth); to grind (e.g. a lens)
polish; burnishing
dental brushing; brushing one's teeth
daruma; tumbling doll; round, red-painted good-luck doll in the shape of Bodhidharma, with a blank eye to be completed when a person's wish is granted
grinding; polishing
polish (jewels); cultivation
tooth powder; toothpaste
Harima (former province located in the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture)
diligent application (to work or study); cultivating one's character by studying hard
veteran; battle-worn; schooled by adversity in many battles; hard-bitten; rich in experience; very experienced
to be worn down; to wear away; to wear out
training; practice; drilling; cultivation; improvement
buffing
permanence; immortality
immutable law (esp. the Meiji constitution); indestructible canon
repolishing; resharpening
chemical polishing
permanence; immortality; eternity
still remaining after a thousand years; immortal
grind your inkstick gently but move your brush vigorously; let the hungry ghost grind your inkstick, let the ogre hold your brush