What does “migaku” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “migaku” normally to mean ‘to polish’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this verb as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it together with its major conjugations. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners use “migaku” more properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “migaku”
- Migakanai: the nai form of “migaku”
- Migakou: the volitional form of “migaku”
- Migakimasu: the masu form of “migaku”
- Migaita: the ta form of “migaku”
- Migaite: the te form of “migaku”
- Migakeba: the ba form of “migaku”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “migaku”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “migaku”.
- migaku – 磨く (みがく) : a verb meaning ‘to polish’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘to improve’.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. Then, let me explain how to use this verb through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “polish” in Japanese
watashi wa mainichi kutsu wo migaku – 私は毎日靴を磨く (わたしはまいにちくつをみがく)
I polish my shoes every day.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- mainichi – 毎日 (まいにち) : an adverb meaning ‘every day’ in Japanese.
- kutsu – 靴 (くつ) : a noun meaning ‘shoe’ in Japanese This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kutsu” to make the object in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “migaku”. In the example, it works together with the case particle, “wo”, to have the object. When we want to mean ‘to polish’ in Japanese, anyway, this verb is a good option.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “migaku” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “migakanai”.
Migakanai: the nai form of “migaku”
Below are the definition and meanings of “migakanai”.
- migakanai – 磨かない (みがかない) : the nai form of “migaku”, which means ‘not to polish’ or ‘not to improve’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “migakanai” consists of the following two parts:
- migaka – 磨か (みがか) : one conjugation of “migaku”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is very similar to that of “not”.
From these two parts, we can understand that “migakanai” is literally the nai form of “migaku” and means ‘not to polish’ or ‘not to improve’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to say “don’t polish” in Japanese
boku wa kutsu wo migakanai – 僕は靴を磨かない (ぼくはくつをみがかない)
I don’t polish my shoes.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
This is a typical usage of “migakanai”. When we want to mean ‘not to polish’ in Japanese, this nai form is a good option.
Migakou: the volitional form of “migaku”
Below are the definition and meanings of “migakou”.
- migakou – 磨こう (みがこう) : the volitional form of “migaku”, which expresses volition to polish or improve.
Grammatically, “migakou” consists of the following two parts:
- migako – 磨こ (みがこ) : one conjugation of “migaku”. This can have a smooth connection with “u”.
- u – う : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make its volitional form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “migakou” is literally the volitional form of “migaku” and expresses volition to polish or improve. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #3: how to say “let’s improve” in Japanese
goi wo migakou – 語彙を磨こう (ごいをみがこう)
Let’s improve our vocabulary!
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- goi – 語彙 (ごい) : a noun meaning ‘vocabulary’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
This is a typical usage of “migakou”. In this example, it works to make the suggestion. When we want to say “let’s improve” in Japanese, this volitional form is a good option.
Migakimasu: the masu form of “migaku”
Below are the definition and meanings of “migakimasu”.
- migakimasu – 磨きます (みがきます) : the masu form of “migaku”, which means ‘to polish’ or ‘to improve’ politely in Japanese.
Grammatically, “migakimasu” consists of the following two parts:
- migaki – 磨き (みがき) : one conjugation of “migaku”. This can have a smooth connection with “masu”.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “migakimasu” is literally the masu form of “migaku” and means ‘to polish’ or ‘to improve’ politely in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #4: how to say “polish” politely in Japanese
kanojo mo mainichi kutsu wo migakimasu – 彼女も毎日靴を磨きます (かのじょもまいにちくつをみがきます)
She polishes her shoes every day, too.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’, ‘also’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
This is a typical usage of “migakimasu”. Its politeness has not been reflected in the English sentence, but the Japanese sentence sounds polite thanks to the masu form. When we want to say “polish” politely in Japanese, this form is a very good option.
Migaita: the ta form of “migaku”
Below are the definition and meanings of “migaita”.
- migaita – 磨いた (みがいた) : the ta form of “migaku”, which means ‘polished’, ‘improved’, or such in Japanese.
Grammatically, “migaita” consists of the following two parts:
- migai – 磨い (みがい) : one conjugation of “migaku”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “migaita” is literally the ta form of “migaku” and means ‘polished’, ‘improved’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain how to use this form through the example sentence below.
Example #5: how to say “improved” in Japanese
boku wa eigo no goi wo migaita – 僕は英語の語彙を磨いた (ぼくはえいごのごいをみがいた)
I improved my English vocabulary.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- eigo – 英語 (えいご) : a noun meaning ‘English’ or ‘the English language’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle joining two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this works to join “eigo” and “goi”. The formed phrase literally means ‘English vocabulary’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “migaita”. When we want to use the past tense form of “migaku”, this ta form is the best option.
Migaite: the te form of “migaku”
Below are the definition and meanings of “migaite”.
- migaite – 磨いて (みがいて) : the te form of “migaku”, which means ‘to polish’ or ‘to improve’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “migaite” consists of the following two parts:
- migai – 磨い (みがい) : one conjugation of “migaku”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “migaite” is literally the te form of “migaku”. In Japanese, te-formed words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. So, “migaite” is very useful when we want to use “migaku” in front of another verb, an adjective, or an auxiliary verb. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #6: how to say “please improve” in Japanese
nihongo no goi wo migaite kudasai – 日本語の語彙を磨いてください (にほんごのごいをみがいてください)
Please improve your Japanese vocabulary.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- nihongo – 日本語 (にほんご) : a noun meaning ‘Japanese’ or ‘the Japanese language’ in Japanese.
- kudasai – ください : one conjugation of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or such in Japanese. When this follows a verb, however, this can work like an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works like an auxiliary verb after “migaite” to add the meaning of ‘please’.
This is a typical usage of “migaite”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with “kudasai”. When we want to use “migaku” in front of another verb like this, its te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
Migakeba: the ba form of “migaku”
Lastly, let me explain the definition and meanings of “migakeba”.
- migakeba – 磨けば (みがけば) : the ba form of “migaku”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to polish’ or ‘to improve’ in Japanese.
Grammatically, “migakeba” consists of the following two parts:
- migake – 磨け (みがけ) : one conjugation of “migaku”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
- ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.
From these two parts, we can understand that “migakeba” is literally the ba form of “migaku”. In Japanese, the ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “migakeba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to polish’ or ‘to improve’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.
Example #7: how to say “if improve” in Japanese
nihongo no goi wo migakeba, motto kanojo to hanaseru – 日本語の語彙を磨けば、もっと彼女と話せる (にほんごのごいをみがけば、もっとかのじょとはなせる)
If you improve your Japanese vocabulary, you can talk to her more.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- motto – もっと : an adverb meaning ‘more’ or such in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle used to say with whom someone does something. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to say to whom the listener can talk more.
- hanaseru – 話せる (はなせる) : a potential verb meaning ‘can talk’, ‘to be able to talk’, or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “migakeba”. In this example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “nihongo no goi wo migakeba”, which means ‘if you improve your Japanese vocabulary’ in Japanese. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to polish’ or ‘to improve’ in Japanese, this ba form is a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “migaku” together with its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- migaku – 磨く (みがく) : a verb meaning ‘to polish’ in Japanese. Depending on the context and situation, this can also mean ‘to improve’.
- migakanai – 磨かない (みがかない) : the nai form of “migaku”, which means ‘not to polish’ or ‘not to improve’ in Japanese.
- migakou – 磨こう (みがこう) : the volitional form of “migaku”, which expresses volition to polish or improve.
- migakimasu – 磨きます (みがきます) : the masu form of “migaku”, which means ‘to polish’ or ‘to improve’ politely in Japanese.
- migaita – 磨いた (みがいた) : the ta form of “migaku”, which means ‘polished’, ‘improved’, or such in Japanese.
- migaite – 磨いて (みがいて) : the te form of “migaku”, which means ‘to polish’ or ‘to improve’ in Japanese. When we want to use “migaku” in front of another verb, this te form is very useful to make a smooth connection.
- migakeba – 磨けば (みがけば) : the ba form of “migaku”, which makes a conditional clause in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘to polish’ or ‘to improve’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
