擦する

す

る

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

rub; scrape; strike (match); file; frost (glass)

Broad physical sense: rub two surfaces together, scrape, strike a match, file down, or frost glass. The specific meaning depends on the object.

マッチを擦すって火ひをつけた。
I struck a match and lit it.

やすりで金きん属ぞくの角かどを擦する。

I file down the metal corner with a file.

2

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

squander money; run through a fortune; lose by gambling

Used for wasting money, especially through gambling or reckless spending. Often appears as 金を擦る or 財産を擦る.

彼かれは競けい馬ばで有あり金がねを全ぜん部ぶ擦すってしまった。
He squandered all his money on horse racing.

Written forms

擦するUsage47%
Standard kanji spelling for rubbing, scraping, striking matches, and squandering money.
するUsage47%
磨するUsage3%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; may appear in older texts.
摩するUsage2%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; may appear in older texts.
擂するUsage1%
Often used for grinding or grating, such as ごまを擂る (grind sesame seeds).

Kanji

擦grate, rub, scratch
磨grind, polish, scour
摩chafe, rub, polish
擂

Similar words

こする
こする also means 'to rub', but is often lighter or more repetitive; 擦る can imply a stronger, more deliberate scraping or striking action.
削けずる
削る means 'to shave' or 'to whittle down', focusing on removing material; 擦る focuses on friction between surfaces.

Etymology

Native Japanese verb. The kanji 擦 is a phono-semantic compound where 察 suggests 'to examine' and 手 'hand', together conveying the idea of rubbing or scraping with the hand. The other kanji forms are specialized or rare variants.

grind, mash, grate