Japanese word

剥ぐ

Pronunciation

Romajihagu

Meaning

  • verbstrip off

Example

木の皮を剥ぎます。ki no kawa o ha gi ma su

I strip the bark from a tree.

Illustration for 剥ぐ (strip off)

More examples

古い壁紙を剥いでから、新しい壁紙を貼ります。furu i kabe gami o ha i de ka ra atara shi i kabe gami o ha ri ma su

After stripping off the old wallpaper, I put up new wallpaper.

Core concept

Describes removing a covering from a surface, such as bark, skin, or a thin outer layer.

Common phrases

  • 樹皮を剥ぐju hi o ha gu

    strip bark from a tree

  • 魚の皮を剥ぐsakana no kawa o ha gu

    strip off fish skin

Similar words

剥がすhagasu: To detach a covering from a surface by lifting, pulling, or peeling it.
剥くmuku: To take off the skin or outer covering of something, especially food.

Definition in Japanese

物の表面を覆う皮や膜などを、はがして取り去る。mono no hyō men o ō u kawa ya maku na do o ha ga shi te to ri sa ru

Word origin

剥ぐ (hagu) is a native Japanese verb written with the kanji 剥 (haku, "to strip"), expressing the removal of a covering from a surface.

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, 剥ぐ (hagu) can describe stripping bark from a tree as well as removing skin or a thin outer layer, so the object shows what is being removed.

Other meanings

  • peel offverb
  • skinverb

Opposites

  • 貼るharustick onverb

Word lists with this word