How do you say "wash" in Japanese?

洗う

arau

Verb Kanji

In Japanese, "wash" is 洗う (arau).

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Pronunciation

A-ra-u, three light syllables, the final 'u' almost silent, so it comes out closer to 'ah-rah'.

Writing and usage

洗う is written using kanji. It's a verb, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

夕食後に皿洗いをする。

yuushoku nochini saraarai wosuru.

I wash the dishes after dinner.

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How to remember 洗う

Arau sounds like 'a raw' — wash off the raw dirt before dinner.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 洗う

How do you pronounce 洗う?

A-ra-u, three light syllables, the final 'u' almost silent, so it comes out closer to 'ah-rah'.

Is 洗う formal or casual?

洗う 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 洗う written in Japanese?

洗う is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as arau.

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.

"Wash" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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