noun
rough sharpening; coarse grinding
The initial stage of sharpening a blade using a coarse stone (粗砥) to shape the edge before finer stones are used. Common in knife and tool maintenance contexts.
See also: 粗砥
包丁の刃が欠けたので、まず粗研ぎから始めた。
The kitchen knife blade was chipped, so I started with rough sharpening first.
粗研ぎが終わったら、中砥で仕上げます。
After rough sharpening is done, I finish with a medium-grit stone.
Compound of 粗 (ara, 'coarse') + 研ぎ (togi, 'sharpening', the noun form of 研ぐ). The spelling 荒研ぎ uses a different character for 'rough'.