磨みがく

み

が

く

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

磨く · godan verb (-ku)

Meanings

godan verb (-ku), transitive verb

Physical polishing or cleaning: making a surface shiny, scrubbing, brushing teeth, grinding a lens, etc.

godan verb (-ku), transitive verb

Metaphorical polishing: improving a skill, art, or personal quality through practice or effort.

〈物もの〉を布ぬので磨みがくto polish something with a cloth
銀ぎんの食しょっ器きを柔やわらかい布ぬので磨みがいた。
I polished the silverware with a soft cloth.
自じ分ぶんを磨みがくto improve or polish oneself
留りゅう学がくして自じ分ぶんを磨みがきたい。
I want to study abroad and better myself.
〈物もの〉をピカピカに磨みがくto polish something until it shines
彼かれは車くるまをピカピカに磨みがいた。
He polished the car until it gleamed.
センスを磨みがくto hone one's sense or taste
美び術じゅつ館かんを訪おとずれてファッションのセンスを磨みがいた。
I visited art museums to sharpen my sense of fashion.

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研とぐN1sense 1
研ぐ means to sharpen or hone a blade (or to wash rice), while 磨く means to polish a surface until it shines.
鍛きたえるN2sense 2
鍛える emphasizes toughening or training through hard, repeated effort (like forging metal), while 磨く emphasizes refining something already good into something finer.
擦こするN3sense 1
こする just means to rub something, whereas 磨く specifically implies rubbing until it becomes clean or shiny.
練ねるN1sense 2
練る is used for refining plans, writing, or ideas through revision, whereas 磨く is broader and also covers honing personal skills or qualities.

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研けん磨ま
磨く is the common everyday verb for polishing or brushing something, while 研磨 is a more formal, technical term used for industrial or metaphorical polishing.
琢たく磨ま
磨く is the common everyday verb for polishing or refining something, while 琢磨 is a formal, literary word for the sustained cultivation of skills or character.

汚よごすN3sense 1
汚す means to make something dirty, the opposite result of 磨く, which makes something clean and shiny.

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The historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji 磨 is conventionally associated with polishing and refining.