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切磋 (せっさ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

切せっ磋さ

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

working hard; applying oneself; cultivating one's character

Almost exclusively used in the compound 切磋琢磨 (せっさたくま), meaning to work hard together and improve each other through friendly competition. The standalone form 切磋 is rare in modern Japanese.

See also: 切磋琢磨

友ゆう人じんと切せっ磋さ琢たく磨まして成せい長ちょうしたい。
I want to grow by working hard together with my friends.

「切せっ磋さ」は単たん独どくではあまり使つかわれず、「切せっ磋さ琢たく磨ま」という四よ字じ熟じゅく語ごで使つかわれる。

切磋 is rarely used alone; it appears in the four-character idiom 切磋琢磨.

2

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

polishing stones

obsolete term

Obsolete original meaning; refers to the literal polishing of stones or gems. Not used in modern Japanese outside of historical or etymological contexts.

古ふるくは「切せっ磋さ」は石いしを磨みがくことを意い味みした。
In ancient times, 切磋 meant polishing stones.

Written forms

切せっ磋さUsage94%
Standard kanji form; almost always used in the compound 切磋琢磨.
切せっ瑳さUsage4%
Variant kanji form using 瑳 instead of 磋; rarely seen.
せっさUsage2%

Kanji

切cut, cutoff, be sharp
磋polish
瑳polish, brilliant white luster of a gem, artful smile

Similar words

切せっ磋さ琢たく磨ま
The full four-character idiom meaning 'cultivating one's character through hard work and mutual encouragement'. This is the common modern form; 切磋 alone is rarely used.

Etymology

From Chinese 切磋 (qiēcuō), originally meaning to cut and polish bone or stone, later extended to mean mutual improvement through hard work. The Japanese form is almost always used in the compound 切磋琢磨.