# 磨 — scrub; grind

磨 means “scrub; grind”. It is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 16 strokes. On'yomi: マ (ma). Kun'yomi: みが(く) (migaku). You'll see it in words such as 磨く (migaku, “to polish; to shine”).

- Meaning: scrub; grind
- On'yomi: マ (ma)
- Kun'yomi: みが(く) (migaku)
- Strokes: 16
- Level: JLPT N2 · set Hands at work 3

## How to remember 磨

Sounds like 麻: both read マ.

Parts: 麻 hemp · 石 stone

## Words with 磨

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 磨く | みがく (migaku) | to polish; to shine |
| 磨き | みがき (migaki) | polish; burnishing |

## Don't confuse it with

[礎](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/cornerstone/) · [摩](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/rub/)

## More in the “Hands at work 3” set

[刺](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/pierce/) · [掃](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/sweep/) · [掘](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/dig/) · [捨](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/throw-away/) · [塗](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/paint/) · [磨](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/scrub/) · [挟](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/pinch/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/scrub/. Last updated 2026-11-01.