手(て)さばき

てさばき

noun

deft handling; skillful hand movements

1. handling; hand movements; manual dexterity

The way someone moves their hands when working with an object — a knife, cards, a tool, an instrument. Usually said admiringly of speed and precision.

見事(みごと)な手(て)さばきだ。

What splendid handiwork.

職人(しょくにん)の手(て)さばきに目(め)を奪(うば)われた。

I was captivated by the craftsman's handling.

板前(いたまえ)は慣(な)れた手(て)さばきで魚(さかな)を三枚(さんまい)におろした。

With practiced hands the chef filleted the fish into three pieces.

手(て) (hand) + さばき, the noun form of 捌(さば)く (to handle, to deal with). The word describes the visible motion of the hands, so it appears most often when someone is watching an expert at work.

Common collocations

鮮(あざ)やかな手(て)さばき: brilliant handling
慣(な)れた手(て)さばき: practiced, well-accustomed handling
手(て)さばきが早(はや)い: to have quick hands

Similar words

手際(てぎわ): skill, efficiency — covers the whole procedure, not just the hands
腕前(うでまえ): ability, prowess — the level of skill itself rather than how it looks

Related Words

Compare: 手際(てぎわ) (skill, efficiency)

Compare: 腕前(うでまえ) (ability, prowess)

Compare: 包丁(ほうちょう)さばき (knife skills)

Compare: 手(て)つき (way one uses one's hands)

general

Added 2026.7.27 12:18 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

30000/30146_tesabaki