When something is 不衛生 (fueisei), it means it's unsanitary or unhygienic. This adjective is used to describe conditions or objects that are not clean and could potentially cause health problems.
For example, you might say a kitchen that hasn't been cleaned in a while is 不衛生. It's often associated with dirt, germs, and a lack of proper cleanliness.
You wouldn't typically use it to describe a person's general hygiene, but rather the state of an environment or object.
When something is 不衛生 (fu-ei-sei), it means it's unsanitary or unhygienic. This term often describes conditions, places, or practices that are not clean and could potentially be harmful to health. For example, a restaurant with a dirty kitchen would be considered 不衛生. You might also hear it used to describe habits, like not washing hands, which are 不衛生.
不衛生 in 30 Seconds
- unhygienic
- not clean
- bad for health
How Formal Is It?
"そのレストランの調理場は不潔でした。 (Sono resutoran no chōri ba wa fuketsu deshita.) - The restaurant's kitchen was unsanitary."
"これは不衛生な環境です。 (Kore wa fu-eiseina kankyō desu.) - This is an unsanitary environment."
"彼の部屋は汚いよ。 (Kare no heya wa kitanai yo.) - His room is dirty (unsanitary)."
"このおもちゃ、ばっちいね。 (Kono omocha, bacchii ne.) - This toy is yucky/dirty (unsanitary)."
"あの場所、ド汚くて近づきたくない。 (Ano basho, do-kitanakute chikazukitakunai.) - That place is super filthy (unsanitary), I don't want to go near it."
Examples by Level
そのレストランの台所は不衛生で、閉鎖されました。
The restaurant's kitchen was unsanitary and was shut down.
「閉鎖されました」 (heisa saremashita) means 'was closed/shut down'.
不衛生な環境で育った子供たちは、病気になりやすいです。
Children raised in unhygienic environments are prone to illness.
「育った」 (sodatta) is the past tense of 'to grow up'. 「なりやすいです」 (nariyasui desu) means 'are prone to becoming/easily become'.
手を洗わないと、不衛生な状態になりますよ。
If you don't wash your hands, it will become an unsanitary situation.
「〜と」 (~to) indicates a natural consequence or result. 「〜になります」 (~ni narimasu) means 'it will become'.
不衛生な水は、多くの感染症の原因となります。
Unsanitary water causes many infectious diseases.
「原因となります」 (gen'in to narimasu) means 'becomes the cause'.
この地域の公共トイレは、いつも不衛生です。
The public restrooms in this area are always unhygienic.
「この地域」 (kono chiiki) means 'this area/region'. 「いつも」 (itsumo) means 'always'.
彼の部屋は不衛生すぎて、誰も入ろうとしません。
His room is too unsanitary; no one tries to enter it.
「〜すぎます」 (~sugimasu) means 'too much/excessively'. 「〜ようとしません」 (~yō to shimasen) means 'doesn't try to ~'.
不衛生な生活習慣は、健康に悪影響を与えます。
Unhygienic lifestyle habits have a negative impact on health.
「生活習慣」 (seikatsu shūkan) means 'lifestyle habits'. 「悪影響を与えます」 (akueikyō o ataemasu) means 'gives a negative influence/impacts negatively'.
不衛生な環境では、食べ物が腐りやすいです。
In unsanitary environments, food spoils easily.
「〜では」 (~dewa) indicates 'in the case of/in the situation of'. 「腐りやすいです」 (kusariyasui desu) means 'is prone to spoiling/easily spoils'.
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsThe Japanese word for 'unsanitary' or 'unhygienic' is 不衛生 (fu'eisei).
Yes, absolutely! You can use 不衛生 to describe a dirty bathroom. For example:
そのトイレは不衛生です。
Sono toire wa fu'eisei desu.
(That toilet is unsanitary.)
Yes, 不衛生 is a fairly common and useful word, especially in conversations about cleanliness, health, or public spaces. It's good to know for a CEFR B1 learner.
不衛生 is a な-adjective. So, when it modifies a noun, you add な between the adjective and the noun. For example:
不衛生な環境
fu'eisei na kankyou
(unsanitary environment)
When it comes after a noun and describes it, you can use です (desu) or だ (da) for politeness/casualness:
この場所は不衛生です。
Kono basho wa fu'eisei desu.
(This place is unsanitary.)
While both relate to dirtiness, 汚い (kitanai) generally means 'dirty' in a broader sense (e.g., dirty clothes, a dirty room). 不衛生 (fu'eisei) specifically implies a lack of hygiene, often suggesting health risks or a state that is harmful to health due to lack of cleanliness.
So, a dirty room might be 汚い, but if it's so dirty it's making people sick, it's 不衛生.
Yes, you can definitely use 不衛生 to describe food or food preparation that is unhygienic. For example:
そのレストランは不衛生な食べ物を出しています。
Sono resutoran wa fu'eisei na tabemono o dashite imasu.
(That restaurant serves unhygienic food.)
Yes, let's break it down:
不 (fu): means 'un-' or 'not'.
衛 (ei): means 'defense' or 'protection'.
生 (sei): means 'life' or 'health'.
So, literally, it's something like 'not protecting life/health', which gives us 'unhygienic' or 'unsanitary'.
You can use 不衛生です (fu'eisei desu). If you want to be even more indirect or polite, you might say:
少々不衛生な気がします。
Shoushou fu'eisei na ki ga shimasu.
(I feel it's a little unsanitary.)
You often hear it in contexts of public health or criticism. Some common collocations include:
不衛生な環境 (fu'eisei na kankyou) - unsanitary environment
不衛生な状態 (fu'eisei na joutai) - unsanitary condition
It's pronounced fu'eisei. The 'fu' is like 'foo', 'ei' is like 'ay' in 'say', and 'sei' is like 'say' as well. The stress is fairly even, with a slight emphasis on the 'ei'.
Test Yourself 42 questions
このレストランはいつもきれいです。決して___ではありません。
The sentence states the restaurant is always clean, so it's never unsanitary.
その古いトイレはとても___でした。
Old toilets are often associated with being unsanitary.
手を洗わないと、___になります。
Not washing hands leads to unhygienic conditions.
ごみが多い場所は___です。
A place with a lot of garbage is unsanitary.
あの部屋はとても___なので、掃除が必要です。
If a room is unsanitary, it needs cleaning.
料理をする時は、___に注意してください。
When cooking, it's important to be careful about unsanitary conditions.
Which of these is likely to be 不衛生 (fueisei)?
不衛生 (fueisei) means unsanitary or unhygienic. A dirty kitchen is unsanitary.
What does 不衛生な場所 (fueisei na basho) mean?
不衛生 (fueisei) means unsanitary, and 場所 (basho) means place.
Which sentence uses 不衛生 (fueisei) correctly?
不衛生 (fueisei) describes something that is not clean or hygienic, like a room.
きれいな手 (kirei na te - clean hands) can be described as 不衛生 (fueisei).
不衛生 (fueisei) means unsanitary, so clean hands cannot be described as unsanitary.
食べ物が床に落ちると、不衛生になる可能性があります。(Tabemono ga yuka ni ochiru to, fueisei ni naru kanousei ga arimasu. - If food falls on the floor, it can become unsanitary.)
If food falls on the floor, it's likely to pick up dirt and germs, making it unsanitary.
毎日掃除をする部屋は不衛生です。(Mainichi souji o suru heya wa fueisei desu. - A room cleaned every day is unsanitary.)
If a room is cleaned every day, it would be clean and hygienic, not unsanitary.
This is unsanitary.
Is that place unsanitary?
Please don't eat unsanitary food.
Read this aloud:
これは不衛生です。
Focus: ふえいせい (fu-ei-sei)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
その手は不衛生です。
Focus: て (te)
You said:
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Read this aloud:
不衛生な場所は嫌いです。
Focus: きらい (ki-rai)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Choose the most appropriate word to complete the sentence: このレストランは少し___ですね。
The sentence suggests a negative quality about the restaurant, and '不衛生' (unsanitary) fits the context of something being a little bit not good about a restaurant.
Which word is the opposite of '衛生的' (hygienic)?
'衛生的' means hygienic, so '不衛生' (unsanitary, unhygienic) is its direct opposite.
Which of these situations would you describe as '不衛生'?
Leftover food on a table implies an unclean and potentially unhygienic condition, which is '不衛生'.
不衛生な場所は健康に良い。
Unsanitary places are not good for health. '不衛生' means unsanitary/unhygienic, which is generally bad for health.
手を洗わないで食事をすると不衛生だ。
Not washing hands before eating is unsanitary. This is a common practice to avoid being '不衛生'.
掃除が行き届いている場所は不衛生だ。
A place that is thoroughly cleaned is hygienic, not unsanitary. '不衛生' means the opposite of hygienic.
Listen for 'unsanitary environment' and 'cause of illness'.
Listen for 'that restaurant' and 'has a reputation for being unsanitary'.
Listen for 'don't touch food' and 'with unsanitary hands'.
Read this aloud:
この場所はとても不衛生です。
Focus: 不衛生 (fu-ei-sei)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
不衛生な状態だとすぐに風邪をひきます。
Focus: 状態 (jou-tai)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
不衛生な食材は使わないでください。
Focus: 食材 (shoku-zai)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Describe a place you've seen that was unsanitary. What made it unsanitary?
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
昨日、駅の近くの公園はとても不衛生でした。地面にごみがたくさんあって、ベンチも汚かったです。
Imagine you are explaining to a friend why it's important to keep your kitchen sanitary. Use 不衛生 in your explanation.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
ねえ、キッチンをきれいにすることは本当に大切だよ。不衛生なキッチンだと、病気になる可能性があるからね。
Write a short sentence about something that you think is unsanitary.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
私は古い公衆トイレが不衛生だと思います。
この文から、何が心配されていますか？
Read this passage:
このレストランはいつもお客さんが多いですが、厨房が不衛生だという噂があります。そのため、私はここで食事をするのが少し心配です。
この文から、何が心配されていますか？
文章に「厨房が不衛生だという噂があります。そのため、私はここで食事をするのが少し心配です」と書かれています。
文章に「厨房が不衛生だという噂があります。そのため、私はここで食事をするのが少し心配です」と書かれています。
このホテルについて、何が問題でしたか？
Read this passage:
旅行中、私たちはあるホテルに泊まりました。部屋は広かったのですが、バスルームがとても不衛生で、清潔感がありませんでした。
このホテルについて、何が問題でしたか？
文章に「バスルームがとても不衛生で、清潔感がありませんでした」と書かれています。
文章に「バスルームがとても不衛生で、清潔感がありませんでした」と書かれています。
ピクニック中に不衛生にならないためには、どうすればいいですか？
Read this passage:
公園でピクニックをするのは楽しいですが、食べ物をそのまま地面に置くと不衛生です。必ずシートを使うか、テーブルに置きましょう。
ピクニック中に不衛生にならないためには、どうすればいいですか？
文章に「食べ物をそのまま地面に置くと不衛生です。必ずシートを使うか、テーブルに置きましょう」と書かれています。
文章に「食べ物をそのまま地面に置くと不衛生です。必ずシートを使うか、テーブルに置きましょう」と書かれています。
このレストランのキッチンはとても___ので、食事をするのをためらってしまいます。(This restaurant's kitchen is very ___, so I hesitate to eat there.)
The sentence implies a negative reason for hesitating to eat. '不衛生' (unsanitary) fits this context perfectly.
古い工場は、長年の放置によりすっかり___な状態になっていた。(The old factory had become completely ___ due to years of neglect.)
'長年の放置' (years of neglect) strongly suggests a state of disrepair and lack of cleanliness, making '不衛生' the most suitable choice.
このような___な環境では、病気がすぐに広がるだろう。(In such an ___ environment, diseases would spread quickly.)
The phrase '病気がすぐに広がるだろう' (diseases would spread quickly) directly points to an 'unsanitary' environment as the cause.
彼の部屋はゴミであふれていて、とても___に見えた。(His room was overflowing with trash and looked very ___.)
'ゴミであふれていて' (overflowing with trash) is a clear indicator of an 'unsanitary' condition.
食品を扱う場所が___であることは、消費者の信頼を失う原因となる。(It being ___ for places handling food causes consumers to lose trust.)
Losing consumer trust due to food handling suggests a negative quality, and '不衛生' (unsanitary) is directly relevant to food safety.
路上に捨てられた食べ物は___であり、健康に害を及ぼす可能性がある。(Food discarded on the street is ___ and can harm one's health.)
Food discarded on the street is clearly 'unsanitary' and would pose health risks.
/ 42 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
「不衛生」 (fu-eisei) describes something unsanitary or unhygienic, often implying a risk to health.
- unhygienic
- not clean
- bad for health
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