Translation guide
The English verb 'shave' covers removing hair from the body, cutting thin slices from a surface, and figurative uses. In Japanese, different verbs are used depending on what is being shaved and how.
To remove hair from the face, legs, head, etc., using a razor or similar tool.
The most common verb for shaving body hair, especially facial hair. Transitive verb.
I shave my beard every morning.
足の毛を剃った。
I shaved my legs.
Emphasizes shaving off completely. Often used for shaving a beard or head.
ひげをそり落とした。
I shaved off my beard.
Formal term for shaving the head, often in a religious context (e.g., becoming a Buddhist monk).
彼は出家して剃髪した。
He became a monk and shaved his head.
To cut off thin layers from something like wood, ice, or food.
General verb for shaving, planing, or whittling down a material. Used for wood, pencils, ice, etc.
鉛筆を削る。
I sharpen a pencil (literally: shave a pencil).
かき氷を作るために氷を削る。
I shave ice to make shaved ice.
Literally 'cut thinly'. Used when shaving food items like cheese or vegetables into thin slices.
チーズを薄く切ってください。
Please shave the cheese (into thin slices).
To plane wood with a carpenter's plane. Specific to woodworking.
職人が木材にかんなをかける。
The craftsman shaves the wood with a plane.
To slightly reduce a number, cost, or time.
To cut down, reduce, or trim (costs, budget, time). Often used in business contexts.
コストを削減する必要がある。
We need to shave costs.
To shorten or reduce (time, distance). Can be used for shaving time off a record.
記録を0.1秒縮めた。
He shaved 0.1 seconds off the record.
To come extremely close to touching or hitting something, often in a dangerous or narrow escape.
To graze, brush against, or shave past something. Implies a very light touch or near miss.
車が壁をかすった。
The car shaved the wall.
弾丸が彼の耳をかすった。
The bullet shaved his ear.
To pass extremely close, almost touching. Often used for vehicles or objects narrowly avoiding collision.
トラックがガードレールすれすれを通った。
The truck shaved the guardrail.
剃る (そる) is specifically for shaving hair off the body. 削る (けずる) is for shaving material off objects like wood, ice, or pencils. Do not confuse them.
While 剃る can be used for shaving the head, it may sound blunt. Often, phrases like 頭を丸める (あたまをまるめる, literally 'make the head round') or 坊主にする (ぼうずにする, 'make a shaven head') are more natural for shaving one's head completely.
頭を丸めた。
I shaved my head.