Godan verb, transitive verb

  1. to chip (off), to shave off, to slice off, to cut off.
  2. to sharpen.
  3. to dampen (one's enthusiasm, interest, etc.), to reduce, to diminish, to weaken, to spoil. Usually written with kana alone.

Variations

Pronunciation Kanji Kana Is Common
 
削ぐ そぐ
 
殺ぐ そぐ

Contained Kanji Breakdown

plane, sharpen, whittle
けず.る サク そ.ぐ (Late Jr. High, N1)
resemblance
ショウ あやか.る (Early High School, N1)
month, moon
つき ゲツ ガツ (1st, N5)
knife, standing sword radical (no. 18)
トウ