磨

mó
#1,535 most
frequent character
rub, wear, grind, polish, dawdle
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

磨 has 石 stone as the meaning part and 麻 má as the sound part. It first meant to grind or polish. Read mó, it grew to rub, sharpen, wear down, and pester. Read mò, it means a grindstone or millstone.

磨 as a component in other characters

sound2 characters
蘑耱

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Example Sentences

我需要磨这块石头。
wǒ xūyào mó zhè kuài shítou 。
I need to grind this stone.
请把刀磨锋利一点。
qǐng bǎ dāo mó fēnglì yīdiǎn 。
Please polish the knife to make it sharper.
他总是磨蹭，不知道什么时候能出发。
tā zǒngshì mócèng ， bùzhīdào shénmeshíhòu néng chūfā 。
He always dawdles, not knowing when we can set off.

Words with similar meanings

磨练móliàn
temper
This word implies training or honing skills through continuous practice.
研磨yánmó
grind
This is a more technical term specifically referring to grinding substances into finer particles.
抛光pāoguāng
polish
This term is used specifically for the action of making a surface shine or smooth.

Words Starting With 磨

磨合mó hé
to break in; to wear in

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