磨(みが)く

みがく
godan verb
to polish, to brush
1. to polish, to shine
To make smooth and shiny by rubbing.
靴(くつ)を磨(みが)く。
To polish shoes.
床(ゆか)をきれいに磨(みが)いた。
I polished the floor until it was clean.
鏡(かがみ)をピカピカに磨(みが)いた。
I polished the mirror until it was sparkling.
2. to brush (teeth)
To clean teeth with a toothbrush.
歯(は)を磨(みが)く。
To brush one's teeth.
毎朝(まいあさ)歯(は)を磨(みが)く。
I brush my teeth every morning.
食(た)べた後(あと)は歯(は)を磨(みが)いたほうがいい。
You should brush your teeth after eating.
3. to improve, to refine
To develop skills or qualities.
腕(うで)を磨(みが)く。
To improve one's skills.
技術(ぎじゅつ)を磨(みが)く。
To refine one's technique.
毎日(まいにち)練習(れんしゅう)して腕(うで)を磨(みが)いている。
I'm practicing every day to improve my skills.

磨(みが)く is a godan verb meaning to polish, brush, or refine.

CONJUGATION:

  • 磨(みが)かない (negative)
  • 磨(みが)きます (polite)
  • 磨(みが)いて (te-form)
  • 磨(みが)いた (past)

LITERAL USES (physical polishing):

  • 歯(は)を磨(みが)く: to brush teeth
  • 靴(くつ)を磨(みが)く: to polish shoes
  • 床(ゆか)を磨(みが)く: to polish the floor
  • 鏡(かがみ)を磨(みが)く: to polish a mirror

FIGURATIVE USES (improvement):

  • 腕(うで)を磨(みが)く: to hone one's skills
  • 技術(ぎじゅつ)を磨(みが)く: to refine technique
  • 感性(かんせい)を磨(みが)く: to cultivate sensibility
  • 才能(さいのう)を磨(みが)く: to polish one's talent

RELATED WORDS:

  • 歯(は)磨(みが)き: toothpaste, tooth brushing
  • 歯(は)ブラシ: toothbrush
  • 靴(くつ)磨(みが)き: shoe polishing, shoeshine
general
Added 2026.1.9 17:57 · Revised 2026.2.23 11:30
02000/02427_migaku