• 掘削くっさく

  digging out, excavation

• 掘るほる

  to dig, to excavate, to hollow

• 発掘はっくつ

  excavation, exhumation, digging up, unearthing

• 採掘さいくつ

  mining, digging, working (a mine)

• 根掘り葉掘りねほりはほり

  inquisitively, pryingly, nosily, thoroughly, persistently, through-and-through

• 掘採くっさい

  mining

• 掘進くっしん

  tunnelling (through), excavation, drilling, boring

• 探掘たんくつ

  exploratory excavation, prospecting

• 洗掘せんくつ

  scouring (of a riverbed or seafloor)

• 試掘しくつ

  prospecting, trial digging

• 盗掘とうくつ

  illegal digging, illegal mining, grave robbing, tomb robbing

• 乱掘らんくつ

  overmining (e.g. of coal), reckless mining

• 掘削機くっさくき

  excavator

• 掘削船くっさくせん

  drillship

• 掘立柱ほったてばしら

  pillar sunk into the ground

• 掘足綱くっそくこう

  Scaphopoda (class of molluscs comprising the tooth shells)

• 穴掘りあなほり

  excavation, digging

• 芋掘りいもほり

  digging for sweet potatoes (esp. as an outing)

• 採掘場さいくつじょう

  mining site, quarry, diggings, stope

• 試掘坑しくつこう

  test pit, pilot tunnel

• 採掘者さいくつしゃ

  miner

• 生掘りなまほり

  bareback sex (esp. male gay), unprotected sex

• 墓掘りはかほり

  gravedigger

• 発掘隊はっくつたい

  excavation team, dig team

• 穴掘梟あなほりふくろう

  burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia)

• 試掘者しくつしゃ

  prospector

• 試掘権しくつけん

  prospecting rights, mining claim

• 採掘権さいくつけん

  mining rights

• 掘り井戸ほりいど

  a well

• 掘り込むほりこむ

  to dig into

• 掘り出すほりだす

  to dig out, to pick up

• 掘り進むほりすすむ

  to burrow through, to dig through

• 掘り崩すほりくずす

  to undermine, to sap, to dig away

• 掘り抜くほりぬく

  to dig through, to drill into, to excavate

• 掘り返すほりかえす

  to dig up, to turn up, to tear up

• 掘っ立てほったて

  erection of a pillar by sinking it directly into the ground

• 溝掘り機みぞほりき

  trench digging machine, trencher

• 掻い掘りかいぼり

  draining a pond, lake or ditch (esp. to remove fish, purify water, etc.)

• 井戸掘りいどほり

  well digging, well digger

• 坑内掘りこうないぼり

  underground mining

• 発掘現場はっくつげんば

  dig site, excavation site

• 露天掘りろてんぼり

  surface mining, open-cut mining, open-pit mining

• 発掘調査はっくつちょうさ

  excavation (usu. archeological), dig

• 掘り起こすほりおこす

  to dig up, to unearth, to uncover

• 掘り尽くすほりつくす

  to work out (a mine), to exhaust (vein of ore)

• 掘り出し物ほりだしもの

  (lucky) find, bargain, good buy, treasure trove

• 掘り当てるほりあてる

  to strike (gold, oil, etc.), to find (e.g. buried treasure), to dig up

• 掘り下げるほりさげる

  to dig down

• 掘立柱建物ほったてばしらたてもの

  post in ground (construction), structure supported by posts sunk into the ground, earthfast

• 掘りごたつほりごたつ

  sunken kotatsu, low table over a hole in the floor (may have a heat source underneath and a hanging quilt to retain warmth)