Welcome back to another “Video & Article” series, this time for another live-stream with tutor Erika. In this lesson we will take a look at laundry-related terms in Japanese. Doing the laundry may be a tedious talk, but it is an essential part of everyday life! In this article, you will learn how laundry is done in Japan and how to talk about it.
| Table of Contents [Why to learn laundry terms] [Highs and lows instead of accents] [Laundry-related phrases] |
[Why to learn laundry terms]
Last time, we talked about Japanese “梅雨 ”. The weather is very unstable and humid during this season, making doing and drying your laundry a big topic in Japanese. Some weather forecasts even predict how well your laundry will dry in the coming days! Hence, learning about laundry, called “洗濯 ” in Japanese (not to be confused with “選択 ”, which means choice!) is actually quite useful, since it might easily come up during conversations with friends, family and co-workers.[Introduction & Basic Vocabulary]
Doing the laundry is called “洗濯 する”, and clothes, sheets, etc. that are ready to be washed are called “洗濯物 ” - so “洗濯 ” and “洗濯物 ” are different terms.Some households might get some help from a dehumidifier, which is often included in the air conditioning unit of each room. Some laundry machines also come with a dryer function (“乾燥機 ”).
Nonetheless, hanging the clothes to dry outside is still the most common method of drying your laundry in Japan. ということで今日 は洗濯 に関 する日本語 を学 びましょう！ So today let’s learn the words about laundry and practice them!
[Laundry-related phrases]
| 私 は毎日 洗濯 します。 |
| I do the laundry every day. |
| 今日 洗濯 をしないといけないです。 |
| I have to do the laundry today. |
| 洗濯 の日 だ。 |
| It’s laundry day. |
| 服 を洗濯 している。 |
| I’m washing the clothes. |
| 毎日 洗濯 するのは嫌 いです。でもやらないと洗濯物 がたまります。 |
| I hate doing my laundry everyday. But it piles up otherwise! |
| 洗濯物 を干 す |
| To hang the laundry outside to dry |
| 洗濯物 を取 り込 む |
| To take the laundry in |
| 洗濯物 をたたむ |
| To fold the laundry |
| 洗濯物 を片付 ける |
| To put away the clean clothes |
| 洗剤 |
| Detergent |
| 柔軟剤 |
| Fabric softener |
After drying the laundry, you might want to iron some pieces. Iron in Japanese is “アイロン”. The “r” sound is audible if you say it in Japanese.
Ironing is “アイロンをかける”.
Now you can do the laundry in Japan!
That’s it for today. If you have any questions, you can always clear them up by booking a lesson with one of our native Japanese tutors. See you next time!
単語リスト（Vocabulary list）
| 洗濯 | Laundry |
| 洗濯 物 | Clothes to be washed |
| 時期 | Season, time, period |
| 不安定 | Unstable |
| 乾燥機 | Drying machine |
| 干 す | To dry, to air |
| 洗濯機 | Laundry machine |
| 取 り込 む | To take in |
| 畳 む | To fold (clothes) |
| 片付 ける | To tidy up |
| 洗剤 | Detergent |
| 柔軟剤 | Fabric softener |
| 手洗 い | Hand-wash (laundry) |
| アイロン | Iron |
| アイロンをかける | To iron clothes |