polish; burnishing
Refers to the act or result of polishing a surface to make it smooth and shiny. Often used in compound nouns like 靴磨き (shoe polishing).
毎朝、靴磨きをするのが日課です。
Polishing my shoes every morning is part of my daily routine.
I took my shoes out to be polished.
This desk hasn't been polished enough.
improvement; refinement; becoming more skilled
Used for honing a skill, technique, or quality through practice or effort. Common in phrases like 腕を磨く (to improve one's skills).
料理の腕に磨きをかけるために、専門学校に通っている。
I'm attending a vocational school to further refine my cooking skills.
彼は長年の練習で技術に磨きをかけた。
He honed his technique through years of practice.
この靴の磨きが甘い。
The polish on these shoes is sloppy.
向上 refers broadly to improvement in skill or quality, while 磨き specifically implies refining a skill through deliberate effort, as in 腕に磨きをかける.
研ぎ (とぎ) means sharpening, as of a blade, while 磨き (みがき) means polishing to add shine, so learners may confuse the two related but distinct care actions.
brushing teeth; dental brushing · toothpaste; tooth powder; dentifrice
women's beauty improvement; female grooming
polishing cloth
polishing liquid; cleaner; polish
polishing sand; scouring sand
polishing powder; scouring powder
emery paper; polishing paper
shoe polishing; shoeshine
Standard kanji spelling for both physical polishing and skill improvement.
Alternate kanji spelling; less common than 磨き.
Noun form of the verb 磨く (みがく), meaning 'to polish' or 'to refine'. The kanji 磨 carries the core meaning of polishing or grinding.
polish thoroughly; rub to a shine
self-improvement; working on oneself
polished plate glass