drilling; hole punching; making a hole
General noun for the act of making a hole, whether by drilling, punching, or piercing. Often used in compound nouns like 穴あけパンチ (hole punch).
I punch holes in the documents with a hole punch.
I hired a specialist for the drilling work on the wall.
Standard spelling for hole-making; the okurigana あけ makes the reading clear.
Alternate spelling using the kanji 開; less common but still seen.
Compound of 穴 (あな, 'hole') and the nominalized form of 開ける (あける, 'to open/make a hole').