Mnemonic
You grab a ripe fruit from the basket and pull out a knife. With a steady hand, you peel the skin off in one long, satisfying spiral. The fruit beneath is glistening and juicy — the knife glides effortlessly, stripping away every last bit of rind until only the perfect flesh remains.
Additional thoughts
Picture the classic image of peeling an apple with a knife in one continuous ribbon. Fruit + knife = peel. Simple and visceral.Quick recall
Use a knife to peel the fruit in one perfect spiral.Details
The keyword for 剥 is peel. This kanji refers to the act of stripping away or removing an outer layer from a surface, much like peeling the skin off fruit or bark off a tree. It conveys the sense of something being torn off, flaked away, or coming apart from what it was attached to. The character can also extend to meanings of deprivation or being stripped of something, such as rights or status.
- On'yomi
- はく、ほく
- Kun'yomi
- へ.ぐ、へず.る、む.く、む.ける、は.がれる、は.ぐ、は.げる、は.がす