What does 洗 mean in Japanese?
洗 means to wash. The kun’yomi 洗う (arau) is the everyday verb for washing with water — your hands, your face, the dishes, a car. It is one of the core daily-life verbs at N4 and appears constantly in routines and instructions: 手を洗う (to wash your hands), 顔を洗う (to wash your face), 皿を洗う (to wash the dishes).
The on’yomi セン forms a set of high-frequency household compounds: 洗濯 (sentaku, laundry), 洗剤 (senzai, detergent), 洗面所 (senmenjo, washroom/vanity area), and 洗車 (sensha, car wash). The left-side water radical 氵 makes the connection to water and washing easy to recognise.
Reading
On’yomi: セン (sen)
Kun’yomi: あら-う (ara-u)
Basic Information
| Kanji | 洗 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | wash |
| Stroke Count | 9 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
洗う (arau) is the general verb for washing anything with water: 手を洗う (wash hands), 顔を洗う (wash face), 皿を洗う (wash dishes), 車を洗う (wash a car). 洗濯 (sentaku) is specifically laundry — washing clothes and fabric: 洗濯をする (to do the laundry), 洗濯物 (laundry, the items being washed). 洗面所 (senmenjo) is the washbasin or vanity area where you wash your face and brush your teeth, often a separate space from the bath and toilet in Japanese homes. お手洗い (otearai), literally ‘the place to wash hands,’ is a polite everyday word for the toilet or restroom.
Common Words
- 洗う（あらう / arau） — to wash
- 洗濯（せんたく / sentaku） — laundry, washing clothes
- 洗剤（せんざい / senzai） — detergent, cleaning agent
- 洗面所（せんめんじょ / senmenjo） — washroom, vanity/basin area
- 手洗い（てあらい / tearai） — handwashing; lavatory
- 洗車（せんしゃ / sensha） — car wash
Example Sentences
-
食事の前に手を洗いましょう。
しょくじのまえにてをあらいましょう。 / Shokuji no mae ni te o araimashou.
Let’s wash our hands before the meal.
-
毎週末に洗濯をします。
まいしゅうまつにせんたくをします。 / Maishuumatsu ni sentaku o shimasu.
I do the laundry every weekend.
-
この洗剤はよく汚れが落ちます。
このせんざいはよくよごれがおちます。 / Kono senzai wa yoku yogore ga ochimasu.
This detergent removes dirt well.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
洗う vs 洗濯する is the key distinction. 洗う is general washing and takes a direct object: 手を洗う, 皿を洗う, 野菜を洗う (wash vegetables). 洗濯する is specifically doing the laundry — washing clothes, usually in a machine. You can say 服を洗う (wash clothes by hand), but for the routine of doing laundry, 洗濯する is the natural choice: 週末に洗濯をする (do laundry on the weekend).
お手洗い (otearai) is one of the most useful polite words to learn. It literally means ‘hand-washing place’ and is a soft, polite way to refer to the toilet or restroom. お手洗いはどこですか？ (Where is the restroom?) is more polite than トイレはどこですか？ and is ideal in restaurants, shops, and formal settings. トイレ is more direct and casual; お手洗い is the safer choice when you want to be polite.
The on’yomi セン compounds cluster around cleaning and hygiene: 洗濯 (laundry), 洗剤 (detergent), 洗顔 (sengan, washing the face), 洗面所 (washroom), 洗車 (car wash). Recognising the 氵 water radical plus セン helps you guess that a compound relates to washing.
洗濯 (sentaku) differs from クリーニング. 洗濯 is home laundry — washing clothes yourself, usually in a machine. クリーニング refers to professional cleaning, especially dry cleaning at a shop: スーツをクリーニングに出す (take a suit to the cleaners). For everyday clothes washed at home, 洗濯 is the word.
Summary
洗 means to wash, with 洗う (arau) as the general everyday verb and 洗濯 (sentaku, laundry) as the most important on’yomi compound. お手洗い is an essential polite word for the restroom, and 洗剤, 洗面所, and 洗車 round out the core household vocabulary.