How do you say "dirty" in Japanese?

汚れた

Yogoreta

Adjective Kanji

In Japanese, "dirty" is 汚れた (Yogoreta).

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Pronunciation

汚れた is written using kanji. Romanised as Yogoreta, it sounds roughly like "yoh-goh-reh-tah" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Yogoreta (汚れた) is the past-participle form of yogoreru (to get dirty). In natural speech, yogorete imasu is used for something currently dirty, and it is the opposite of kirei na (clean).

Example sentence

靴が泥で汚れています。

Kutsu ga doro de yogorete imasu.

The shoes are dirty with mud.

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How to remember 汚れた

The kanji 汚 uses the water radical with something unwanted inside. Picture dirty water or mud forming the word.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese adjectives.

Questions about 汚れた

How do you pronounce 汚れた?

汚れた is romanised as Yogoreta. Say it roughly like "yoh-goh-reh-tah" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 汚れた formal or casual?

汚れた 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 汚れた written in Japanese?

汚れた is written using kanji. Yogoreta (汚れた) is the past-participle form of yogoreru (to get dirty).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Dirty" in other languages

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