剥く

• Reading: むく
• Romaji: muku
• Kanji breakdown: 剥 (haku/mu) — peel, strip, skin
• Pronunciation: /mɯ.kɯ/

Meaning

To peel; to skin; to shell. The act of removing the outer layer of something.

A Group 1 (godan) verb conjugated with the く row. A transitive verb used for peeling fruit (りんごを剥く), shelling nuts or eggs (卵を剥く), and skinning animals. Different from 向く (to face) despite identical reading. The intransitive form is 剥ける (mukeru, to peel off on its own). Common in cooking contexts.

Examples

1. りんごの皮を上手に剥けるようになりたい。 I want to get better at peeling apples.
2. ゆで卵の殻を剥くのが苦手だ。 I'm bad at peeling boiled eggs.
3. 栗の皮を剥くのは時間がかかる。 Peeling chestnuts takes a lot of time.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, daily life, food preparation

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 剥 combines 录 (a phonetic element) and 刂 (blade radical). A blade used to remove the outer covering — the act of stripping away a surface layer.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal