Japanese symbol for “refine”
磨く
みがく
Romaji: migaku
to polish; to shine; to burnish; to scour
In Japanese, refine is 磨く, read みがく (migaku).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- v5k, vt to polish; to shine; to burnish; to scour; to scrub; to brush (teeth)
- v5k, vt to refine (a skill, etc.); to improve; to hone; to polish (up); to cultivate (one's character)
Written forms: 磨く、研く、琢く. Readings: みがく.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “refine”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 練る | ねる neru | to polish (a plan, etc.); to refine; to elaborate |
| 晒す | さらす sarasu | to bleach; to refine |
| 絞り込む | しぼりこむ shiborikomu | to narrow down; to refine |
| 練り上げる | ねりあげる neriageru | to polish; to refine |
| 精げる | しらげる shirageru | to polish (rice); to refine; to purify |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 歯磨き | はみがき hamigaki | dental brushing; brushing one's teeth |
| 磨き | みがき migaki | polish; burnishing |
| 研磨 | けんま kenma | grinding; polishing |
| 琢磨 | たくま takuma | polish (jewels); cultivation |
| 達磨 | だるま daruma | daruma; tumbling doll; round, red-painted good-luck doll in the shape of Bodhidharma, with a blank eye to be completed when a person's wish is granted |
| 切磋琢磨 | せっさたくま sessatakuma | diligent application (to work or study); cultivating one's character by studying hard |
See also: Chinese symbol for “refine”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.