मतलब
The act of cleaning one's face with water and often soap.
सांस्कृतिक पृष्ठभूमि
Koreans often wash their face immediately upon returning home to remove 'fine dust' (미세먼지), which is a significant environmental concern. In the past, people used 'rice water' (쌀뜨물) for 세수 to make their skin whiter and smoother, a practice still occasionally mentioned today. The term '세안' (Se-an) is often preferred over '세수' in the multi-step Korean skincare world to sound more professional. It is considered polite to wash your face before meeting someone, even in casual settings, as a sign of respect and 'tidiness' (깔끔함).
Drop the 'reul'
In 90% of casual conversations, just say '세수했어?' instead of '세수를 했어?'. It sounds much more natural.
The Hanja Trap
If you know Chinese or Japanese, forget the meaning of '手' (hand) for this specific word. It's only for the face!
मतलब
The act of cleaning one's face with water and often soap.
Drop the 'reul'
In 90% of casual conversations, just say '세수했어?' instead of '세수를 했어?'. It sounds much more natural.
The Hanja Trap
If you know Chinese or Japanese, forget the meaning of '手' (hand) for this specific word. It's only for the face!
Cat's Wash
Use '고양이 세수' to tease a friend who got ready too quickly. It's a very native-sounding idiom.
Morning Greeting
In some close relationships, asking '세수했어?' is a playful way to ask if someone is fully awake yet.
खुद को परखो
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'Sesu-hada'.
아침에 일어나서 제일 먼저 ___를 해요.
You wash your face (세수) first thing in the morning.
Which sentence is the most natural?
Choose the correct sentence for 'I washed my face with cold water.'
Option 2 is the standard way to say this. Option 1 is wrong because Sesu isn't for hands. Option 3 uses 'laundry' for face. Option 4 is grammatically incorrect.
Complete the dialogue.
가: 왜 화장실에 가요? 나: 너무 졸려서 ___ 좀 하고 오려고요.
Washing your face is a common way to wake up when you are sleepy.
Match the idiom to the situation.
Which phrase describes washing your face very quickly and poorly?
'Cat's wash' (고양이 세수) is the idiomatic expression for a quick, superficial wash.
🎉 स्कोर: /4
विज़ुअल लर्निंग टूल्स
Sesu vs. Sean
अभ्यास बैंक
4 अभ्यास아침에 일어나서 제일 먼저 ___를 해요.
You wash your face (세수) first thing in the morning.
Choose the correct sentence for 'I washed my face with cold water.'
Option 2 is the standard way to say this. Option 1 is wrong because Sesu isn't for hands. Option 3 uses 'laundry' for face. Option 4 is grammatically incorrect.
가: 왜 화장실에 가요? 나: 너무 졸려서 ___ 좀 하고 오려고요.
Washing your face is a common way to wake up when you are sleepy.
Which phrase describes washing your face very quickly and poorly?
'Cat's wash' (고양이 세수) is the idiomatic expression for a quick, superficial wash.
🎉 स्कोर: /4
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले सवाल
10 सवालNo. Even though the Hanja means hand, in modern Korean, it is strictly for the face. Use '손을 씻다' for hands.
'Sesu' is the common, everyday word. 'Sean' is more formal and often used in the beauty industry or on product labels.
'Sesu' is a noun, and 'Sesu-hada' is the verb form. You can use both.
It is grammatically correct to include it, but in spoken Korean, it is almost always dropped.
Use the causative form: '세수를 시키다'. For example, '아기 세수를 시켰어요.'
Yes, you can say '강아지 세수 시키다', but usually people just say '씻기다' (to wash/bathe) for pets.
It means washing your face with only water, without using any soap or cleanser.
No, that is informal. You should use the honorific '세수하세요' or '세수하셨어요?', but usually, you wouldn't tell your boss to wash their face!
It's an idiom (고양이 세수) for a very quick, incomplete wash, because cats only wash small parts of their face with their paws.
No, for a car use '세차' (Se-cha).
संबंधित मुहावरे
손을 씻다
similarTo wash hands
샤워하다
builds onTo shower
고양이 세수
specialized formA very quick/lazy wash
세안하다
synonymTo wash the face (formal)
양치질하다
similarTo brush teeth
머리를 감다
similarTo wash hair
