How do you say "brush" in Japanese?

刷子

sasshi

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "brush" is 刷子 (sasshi).

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Pronunciation

刷子 is written using kanji. Romanised as sasshi, it sounds roughly like "sahs-shee" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Sasshi is two kanji combining brush/paint (刷) with child/thing (子). The term evolved from older tool vocabulary and remains common in art and painting contexts.

Example sentence

新しい刷子が設置されました。

Atarashii Sasshi ga secchi saremashita.

A new brush has been installed.

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How to remember 刷子

Sasu (刷) looks like bristles or paint strokes. Shi (子) is small. Small bristles bound together.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 刷子

How do you pronounce 刷子?

刷子 is romanised as sasshi. Say it roughly like "sahs-shee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 刷子 formal or casual?

刷子 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 刷子 written in Japanese?

刷子 is written using kanji. Sasshi is two kanji combining brush/paint (刷) with child/thing (子).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Brush" in other languages

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