削ぐ

• 読み: そぐ
• ローマ字: sogu
• 漢字の分解: 削 (so) — to shave, pare down
• 発音: /so.ɡɯ/

意味

To chip; to whittle; to dampen; to reduce. To shave away material or diminish the force, enthusiasm, or scale of something.

A Group 1 (godan) verb. 削ぐ has both a concrete sense — 削ぎ身 (thinly sliced fish cut at an angle) — and an abstract sense: 意欲を削ぐ (to dampen enthusiasm), 勢いを削ぐ (to reduce momentum), 面目を削ぐ (to undermine prestige). The abstract use is highly prevalent in contemporary Japanese, especially in workplace and social commentary. The compound 削ぎ落とす (to strip away completely) is derived from this verb.

例文

1. 上司の一言が新入社員のやる気を削いでしまうことは珍しくない。
2. 突然の悪天候が遠足の楽しい雰囲気を削ぎ、子どもたちは落胆した。
3. 包丁を斜めに入れて野菜を削ぐように切ると、表面積が増えて火が通りやすくなる。

使い方ガイド

場面: motivation, cooking, social dynamics, workplace, competition

トーン: neutral to negative (abstract use)

起源と歴史

A native Japanese verb written with the kanji 削 (to shave, pare down). Related to 削る (kezu-ru — to shave, reduce) but 削ぐ implies a lateral shaving motion (like slicing at an angle) rather than progressive grinding. The abstract sense of 'dampening' derives from the image of slicing away at something's force.

文化的背景

時代: Traditional-Modern

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal