Kitchen

Collocations, Stage 3chunk 19 of 23Home & daily routine

Round a meal at home: washing up, boiling the kettle, wiping the table.

• osara o arauwash the dishes, wash up
• oyu o wakasuboil water
• teeburu o fukuwipe the table

Mix-ups Each job has its own verb where English says 'wash' or 'boil': arau is with water, fuku is with a cloth, and the water you boil is already oyu (hot water) and takes wakasu, not niru, which is for cooking food.

osara o arau

polite osara o araimasuheard 5×

wash the dishes, wash up

お皿を洗う おさらをあらうPlay お皿を洗いますPlay

verbarau 洗うwash with water (hands, face, dishes, a car)typical 26% of osara

trap 'Do the dishes' has no do-verb with osara itself: say osara (o) arau, or put suru on a chore noun: sara-arai (o) suru or araimono (o) suru.

The after-meal chore, often an offer: osara arau ne (I'll do the dishes). Casual speech drops o; the chore nouns sara-arai and araimono (washing-up) are just as common: araimono shitoku ne.

casualPlay

osara wa watashi ga arau ne.

I'll do the dishes.

お皿は私が洗うね。

politePlay

osara wa watashi ga araimasu ne.

I'll wash the dishes.

お皿は私が洗いますね。

Clearing the table first is osara o sageru or katazukeru; shokki o arau (wash the tableware) is the same chore, and a dishwasher is shokusenki.

Same verb: te (hands), kao (face), kuruma (car)Learn alongside: teeburu o fukuMain list: suru (Stage 1)

oyu o wakasu

polite oyu o wakashimasuheard 5×

boil water

お湯を沸かす おゆをわかすPlay お湯を沸かしますPlay

verbwakasu 沸かすbring to the boil, heat (water, a bath)typical 8% of oyu

trap 'Boil' points to niru or yuderu, which are for cooking food (yuderu for eggs and pasta). Water is heated with wakasu, and it's usually called oyu (hot water) already; mizu o wakasu is also fine.

For putting the kettle on, for tea, coffee or instant noodles: oyu wakasu kedo, nanka nomu? Casual speech drops o; when it's ready, oyu waita (the water's boiled).

casualPlay

oyu wakasu kedo, nanka nomu?

I'm putting the kettle on, want anything?

お湯沸かすけど、なんか飲む？

politePlay

oyu o wakashimasu kedo, nanika nomimasu ka?

I'm boiling some water. Would you like something to drink?

お湯を沸かしますけど、何か飲みますか？

The kettle is a yakan or a denki ketoru (electric kettle); the same verb heats the bath (ofuro o wakasu).

Same verb: ofuro (bath), mizu (water)Main list: -kedo (Stage 1), nanika (Stage 4), nomu (Stage 2)

teeburu o fuku

polite teeburu o fukimasuheard —rarely

wipe the table

テーブルを拭く テーブルをふくPlay テーブルを拭きますPlay

verbfuku 拭くwipe (with a cloth or towel)

A small chore before and after meals, usually a request: teeburu fuite (give the table a wipe). Casual speech drops o; the cloth is a daifukin (table-wiping cloth) or a damp towel.

casualPlay

chotto teeburu fuite kureru?

Can you give the table a wipe?

ちょっとテーブル拭いてくれる？

politePlay

chotto teeburu o fuite moraemasu ka?

Could you wipe the table, please?

ちょっとテーブルを拭いてもらえますか？

souji suru is for a room or the whole house; a table just gets a wipe.

Same verb: te (hands), ase (sweat), yuka (floor), megane (glasses)Learn alongside: osara o arauMain list: -te kureru (Stage 2), -te moraeru? (Stage 2)