skill

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 技 has 7 strokes, the on-reading ぎ, and the kun-reading わざ. 技 (わざ) means a skill or trick.
• Basic usage: 技 can describe an artisan's skill or a learned trick; 技術 (ぎじゅつ) describes a technique or technology used in work.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Learned skills and working techniques
  • 職人の技 refers to the artisan's skill whose precision impressed an observer up close. 扉を前足で開ける技 means the cat's trick of opening a door with its front paw.
  • 木を曲げる伝統的な技術 means a traditional technique for bending wood. 新しい技術によって identifies new technology as the reason the work took less time.