磨 — “Grind / Polish / Scour / Improve” in Japanese

Master (高手)ま, みが, す

Radical ⽯ · radical 112 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Grind / Polish / Scour / Improve” in Japanese is 磨, read ma, miga, su (ま, みが, す). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 研磨 (grinding).

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What does 磨 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	磨
Meaning	Grind / Polish / Scour / Improve
Readings	ま, みが, す
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	研磨 (grinding)

How to read 磨

磨 is read ma (ま) or miga (みが) or su (す) depending on the word.

Words with 磨

研磨

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Updated: 2026-08-28