wipe, mop, swab

About this kanji

The kanji 「拭」 primarily means to wipe or mop something. It can be used both as a verb and as a noun in different contexts. For example, the verb 拭う (ぬぐう) means 'to wipe,' while 拭く (ふく) is another way to say 'to wipe'; both are commonly used in everyday situations like cleaning. The compound 払拭 (ふっしょく) means 'wiping out' and refers to eliminating something, often used in contexts like memories or mistakes. Another useful compound is 拭布 (ふきん), which translates to 'dish towel.' When using 「拭」, keep in mind that it often relates to cleaning tasks.

Example sentences

• 机を拭いてきれいにした。

  I wiped the desk clean.

Meanings across languages

English

wipe, mop, swab

Tiếng Việt

lau, mop, cọ rửa

日本語

拭, ふく

한국어

닦다, 문질러 닦다

中文

擦拭, 抹布, 擦

id

mengusap

th

เช็ด

es

limpiar

fr

essuyer

de

wischen

pt

limpar

Common compounds

• 拭うぬぐうto wipe, to mop up, to get rid of (an impression, feeling, blemish, etc.)
• 拭くふくto wipe, to dry
• 払拭ふっしょくwiping out, sweeping away, eradicating
• 拭布ふきののdish towel, tea towel
• 清拭せいしきbed bath, sponge bath, blanket bath
• 拭きふきcleaner, wiper, eraser
• 拭浄しょくじょうwiping and purifying, wiping and cleansing
• 拭紙ぬぐいがみwiping paper (esp. for swords)