削ります（けずります、kezurimasu）
- to whittle

The Japanese verb 削ります (けずります) means "to shave," "to pare," "to scrape," "to whittle," "to reduce," "to cut down," or "to economize." It implies removing something from a surface or reducing the size, amount, or cost of something. The action involves taking away a portion of something, often using a tool or method that gradually removes material. The meaning varies depending on the context, but the core idea of subtraction or reduction remains constant.

⚫︎鉛筆を削ります。 Translation: I sharpen a pencil. ⚫︎予算を削ります。 Translation: I cut the budget. ⚫︎木を削り、箸を作りました。 Translation: I whittled wood and made chopsticks.

削ります is used in various situations. You can use it when talking about physically shaving, whittling, or scraping something. It's also used metaphorically to talk about reducing something like a budget, expenses, or time. The appropriate context is essential for understanding the nuance of 削ります. This is a versatile verb used to describe different actions.

削ります is written as けずります in hiragana. The kanji is 削, with the reading けず. The verb stem is けず, and the polite form is 削ります. The okurigana is standard, with "ります" added to the kanji.

⚫︎ 切ります (きります): to cut (generally). ⚫︎ 減らします (へらします): to reduce, to decrease. ⚫︎ そぎます (そぎます): to pare, to shave (often used for food preparation). ⚫︎ 切り落とします (きりおとします): to cut off, to trim off.

⚫︎ 増やします (ふやします): to increase, to add to. ⚫︎ 足します (たします): to add, to supplement. ⚫︎ 加えます (くわえます): to add, to include.

彼は木の棒をナイフで削り、船の模型を作った。 ・Translation: He whittled a wooden stick with a knife and made a model boat. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the physical act of 削り, referring to whittling wood to create a smaller object.

人件費を削り、会社の経営を改善しようと試みた。 ・Translation: They tried to improve the company's management by cutting labor costs. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 削り in a metaphorical sense, indicating the reduction of labor costs to improve a company's financial situation.

The kanji 削, which forms part of 削ります, is composed of the radicals 刀 (katana, sword) and 肖 (shou, a shape). The original meaning of the character, in connection with the radicals, means to use a knife or a sharp tool to remove or pare something away. This aligns with the verb's core meaning of reducing or subtracting.