洗う（あらう）
JLPT N5 · Godan verb (Group 1)
Pitch accent: heiban (flat) — starts low, stays high, no drop
Meaning: to wash
Conjugation
| Form | Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| masu-form (polite) | 洗います | あらいます |
| te-form | 洗って | あらって |
| ta-form (past) | 洗った | あらった |
| nai-form (negative) | 洗わない | あらわない |
| potential form | 洗える | あらえる |
See the full conjugation table for "洗う" →
Example sentences
- 食事の前にきちんと手を洗う。 — I wash my hands properly before meals.
- 週末に汚れた車を洗った。 — I washed the dirty car over the weekend.
Idioms & proverbs containing “洗う”
- 猫耳を洗うと雨が降る (ねこみみをあらうとあめがふる) — if a cat washes its ears, rain is coming
- 猫が顔を洗うと雨が降る (ねこがかおをあらうとあめがふる) — if a cat washes its face, rain is coming
- 足を洗う (あしをあらう) — to quit (a shady business); to wash one's hands of; to cut one's ties with; to turn over a new leaf; to go straight
- 芋を洗うよう (いもをあらうよう) — with people jostling against one another; teeming; heaving; jam-packed
- 血で血を洗う (ちでちをあらう) — to engage in a bloody feud; to have a family quarrel; to quarrel with one's own flesh and blood; to wash blood for blood
- 芋の子を洗うよう (いものこをあらうよう) — with people jostling against one another; teeming; heaving; jam-packed
Related words
See it used in real works
- Example sentences from Japanese novels & web fiction (Massif)
- Hear “洗う” pronounced in real videos (YouGlish)