磨き
Meanings
1
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).
Polishing my shoes every morning is part of my daily routine.
This desk hasn't been polished enough.
2
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).
I'm attending a vocational school to further refine my cooking skills.
He honed his technique through years of practice.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉を磨きに出すto take/send something out to be polished
I took my shoes out to be polished.
- 〈物〉の磨きが甘いthe polishing job is sloppy/insufficient
The polish on these shoes is sloppy.