家事に関する言葉 House chores related words

Sep 08, 2024

こんにちは！I have a quick question—do you like doing house chores? For me, it really depends 😂. I enjoy washing dishes, but ironing always feels so boring! This time, we’re introducing some fun words related to house chores. Let’s find out what they are!

家事(かじ, kaji)

house chore

The word 家事 (かじ, kaji) translates directly to "house chore" or "housework." It’s made up of two kanji characters: 家 (いえ, ie) meaning "house," and 事 (こと, koto) meaning "thing" or "task." So, when you put them together, it literally means "house thing" or "house task."

〇〇掃除 (そうじ, souji)

Cleaning up ___ You can easily customize this phrase by adding a specific area or item you’re cleaning in front of 掃除. It's like filling in the blank!

部屋掃除 (へやそうじ, heya souji) — Cleaning up the room
キッチン掃除 (キッチンそうじ, kicchin souji) — Cleaning up the kitchen
トイレ掃除 (トイレそうじ, toire souji) — Cleaning the toilet

In Japan, there's even a special cleaning custom known as 大掃除 (おおそうじ, oosouji), which refers to the "big cleaning" done at the end of the year to prepare for the New Year!

“Ōsōji”: Half of Japanese Households Still Do Traditional Year-End Cleaning

洗濯(せんたく, sen- taku)

Landry

In Japan, laundry is often air-dried outside, even in cities, with many homes having 物干し (ものほし, monohoshi)—designated spaces for hanging clothes. This practice is common due to limited living space and the belief that sunlight helps eliminate bacteria.

Bonus Vocabulary:

洗濯機 (せんたくき, sentakuki) — Washing machine
洗濯物 (せんたくもの, sentakumono) — Laundry items

皿洗い (さらあらい, sara-arai)

Washing dishes

In Japan, many households still prefer to wash dishes by hand, even though dishwashers are becoming more common.

料理 (りょうり, ryouri)

Cooking / Cuisine

There are many home-cooked meal recipes that are simple, quick to make, and delicious. The word 時短(ji-tan)”time-saving”, which is a shortened form of 時間短縮 (jikan tanshuku) is ofter used for that kind of recipes.