A2 Collocation Neutre

体を洗う

Karada o arau

Wash body

Phrase in 30 Seconds

This phrase describes the physical act of cleaning one's body while bathing or showering.

  • Means: The act of scrubbing or washing one's skin with soap and water.
  • Used in: Daily routines, visiting hot springs (onsen), or gym showers.
  • Don't confuse: It is not a metaphor for 'repenting' or 'changing one's life' (that is '足を洗う').
Soap + Water + Scrubbing = Clean Body

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means to clean your body with soap. You use it when you are in the shower or bath. It is very simple and useful for daily life.
This is a common collocation used to describe the act of washing oneself. In Japan, it is important to wash your body before you enter a shared bathtub. You can use it in polite or casual sentences.
The phrase {体を洗う|からだをあらう} refers to the hygienic practice of scrubbing one's skin. It is frequently used when discussing personal routines or explaining the etiquette of Japanese public baths, where washing outside the main tub is mandatory.
While literal, this collocation is culturally significant. It serves as a linguistic marker for the 'wash-before-soak' etiquette prevalent in Japanese bathing culture. Learners should distinguish this from the idiomatic {足を洗う|あしをあらう}, which carries a metaphorical meaning of moral reformation.
This collocation functions as a standard transitive construction in Japanese. Its usage is strictly confined to the domain of personal hygiene. Unlike English, where 'washing one's body' might be redundant, in Japanese, the explicit mention of the body is necessary to delineate the specific stage of the bathing ritual.
From a cognitive linguistic perspective, {体を洗う|からだをあらう} represents a prototypical action-object schema. The semantic stability of this phrase prevents it from drifting into metaphorical territory, unlike the body-part idiom {足を洗う|あしをあらう}. It remains a quintessential example of how cultural practices dictate the frequency and necessity of specific lexical collocations.

Signification

To clean one's body, typically during a bath or shower.

🌍

Contexte culturel

The 'wash-before-soak' rule is absolute in public baths.

💡

Onsen Etiquette

Always wash your body thoroughly before entering the communal tub.

Signification

To clean one's body, typically during a bath or shower.

💡

Onsen Etiquette

Always wash your body thoroughly before entering the communal tub.

Teste-toi

Fill in the blank with the correct particle.

お風呂で体___洗います。

✓ Correct ! ✗ Pas tout à fait. Rponse correcte : を

The object of the verb 'wash' is marked by 'を'.

🎉 Score : /1

Aides visuelles

Questions fréquentes

1 questions

No, for hands you use '手を洗う'.

Expressions liées

🔗

足を洗う

contrast

To quit a bad habit

Où l'utiliser

♨️

At a public bath

Staff: まず、{体を洗ってください|からだをあらってください}。

You: はい、わかりました。

polite

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of a sponge scrubbing your 'kara-da' (body) until it's 'arau' (all-out) clean.

Visual Association

Imagine yourself in a steamy Japanese bathhouse, holding a towel and soap, scrubbing your arms before stepping into the hot water.

Story

Kenji went to the onsen. He forgot the rules. He jumped in the tub without washing. Everyone stared. Now, Kenji always remembers to wash his body first.

Word Web

お風呂石鹸シャワー温泉洗う体

Défi

Next time you shower, say '{体を洗います|からだをあらいます}' out loud to practice the polite form.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Lavarse el cuerpo

Japanese uses a direct object marker 'o' instead of a reflexive pronoun.

French high

Se laver le corps

Japanese is strictly transitive.

German moderate

Sich waschen

Japanese explicitly includes 'body' (karada).

Chinese moderate

洗澡 (xǐzǎo)

Japanese separates the act of washing the body from the bath itself.

Korean very_high

몸을 씻다 (momeul ssitda)

None, they are structurally parallel.

Portuguese high

Lavar o corpo

Japanese is more specific about the ritual aspect.

Arabic moderate

اغتسل (ightasal)

Japanese phrase is purely secular/hygienic.

English high

Wash one's body

English speakers rarely say 'I am washing my body' unless in a specific context; they usually just say 'I'm showering'.

Easily Confused

体を洗う vs 足を洗う

Both contain 'wash'.

If it's about hygiene, it's body. If it's about crime, it's feet.

FAQ (1)

No, for hands you use '手を洗う'.

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