The Meaning of hagasu [剥がす] In Japanese

剥がす
はがす
Romaji: hagasu N5

What does 剥がす mean?

Translation and Meaning

peel off, strip away, remove

Definition

剥がす means to detach or remove something that is adhered to a surface by peeling it away. It describes actively separating an object such as a sticker, label, tape, or paint from its substrate, and is used for both literal and actionable removal tasks.

Type

verb (godan) (五段動詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • physical removal of an attached item by peeling or tearing from a surface
  • peeling off a coating, film, or protective layer from a surface
  • figurative sense of removing outer layers or barriers to reveal what lies beneath

Etymology

剥 meaning peel or strip; the hagasu form is a native Japanese verb created by combining this kanji with the verb ending that expresses the action of peeling away from a surface.

Composition

  • 剥: peel, strip; the core idea is removing an outer layer
  • がす: a phonetic suffix that forms the transitive verb meaning to peel away from a surface

Usage

Used in casual and formal contexts to describe removing something that is attached, such as a sticker, label, price tag, tape, or coating. In use, it often appears with the particle を to mark the direct object and is common in instructions, product packaging, maintenance, and cleaning contexts; typical phrases include ラベルをはがす, テープをはがす, 塗装をはがす.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: visualize peeling a sticker off a surface; the kanji 剥 embodies the idea of removing an outer layer, and the attached suffix がす completes the action as a transitive verb meaning to peel away.

Variations

  • 剝がす — hagasu (old/traditional kanji variant)
  • はがす — hagasu (kana form, common reading)
  • 剥く — muku (to peel, related verb for peeling fruits or skin)

Example Phrases

  • 私は買い物袋のラベルを剥がすついでに、箱の貼り紙も剥がした。
    Watashi wa kaimonobukuro no raberu o hagasu tsuide ni, hako no harigami mo hagashita.
    I peeled off the label from the shopping bag, and I also peeled off the box’s sticker.
    Lista:
    • 私は (Watashi wa) – I
    • 買い物袋のラベルを (kaimonobukuro no raberu o) – the label on the shopping bag
    • 剥がすついでに (hagasu tsuide ni) – while peeling off
    • 箱の貼り紙も (hako no harigami mo) – the box’s sticker too
    • 剥がした (hagashita) – peeled off
    The target verb 「剥がす」 is transitive and takes a direct object marked by を; in this sentence, it is used as 「剥がす」 with ラベルを. The phrase 「剥がすついでに」 meaning ‘while peeling off (one thing)’ shows doing another action as a byproduct.
剥がす