Translation guide
The process of making something white or lighter in color, especially through chemical means or exposure to sunlight. This guide covers common Japanese expressions for bleaching hair, clothes, and other materials.
To lighten or decolorize hair using chemicals.
Standard phrase for bleaching hair. Literally 'to decolorize hair'. Used in salons and everyday conversation.
美容院で髪を脱色してもらった。
I had my hair bleached at the salon.
Uses the loanword 'bleach'. Very common in casual contexts and among younger people.
髪をブリーチしたら傷んじゃった。
I damaged my hair when I bleached it.
Noun meaning 'decolorization' or 'bleaching'. Often used in compound words.
脱色剤を使うときは注意が必要です。
You need to be careful when using bleaching agents.
To whiten or remove stains from textiles using bleach.
General verb for bleaching fabrics. Often used with laundry.
白いシャツを漂白したら、黄ばみが取れた。
When I bleached the white shirt, the yellowing came out.
Bleaching agent or bleach (for laundry). Common household item.
漂白剤を入れて洗濯してください。
Please add bleach when you do the laundry.
Using the loanword 'bleach' for laundry. Understandable but less common than 漂白剤.
この汚れはブリーチを使わないと落ちない。
This stain won't come out unless I use bleach.
Natural lightening or fading caused by exposure to the sun.
Describes color fading due to sun exposure. Literally 'color comes out from being sunburned'.
カーテンが日に焼けて色が抜けてしまった。
The curtains faded from the sun.
Passive form meaning 'to be bleached by sunlight'. More formal or written.
この紙は日光で漂白されています。
This paper is bleached by sunlight.
Cosmetic whitening of teeth.
Uses the English loanword 'whitening'. Standard term for cosmetic teeth whitening.
歯をホワイトニングして、笑顔に自信がついた。
I got my teeth whitened and gained confidence in my smile.
Literal translation 'to bleach teeth'. Used in dental contexts but less common than ホワイトニング.
歯科医院で歯を漂白してもらえます。
You can get your teeth bleached at the dental clinic.
The chemical or industrial process of bleaching materials like paper or wood pulp.
Noun for the bleaching process. Used in technical and industrial contexts.
パルプの漂白には塩素が使われることがある。
Chlorine is sometimes used in pulp bleaching.
Decolorization, often used for removing color from liquids or materials.
脱色 (だっしょく) is used for removing color from hair or colored liquids, while 漂白 (ひょうはく) is specifically for whitening fabrics or materials. For hair, 脱色 is standard; 漂白 would sound odd.
髪を脱色する（○） / 髪を漂白する（△）
bleach hair (natural) / bleach hair (unusual)
The loanword ブリーチ is common for hair and sometimes laundry, but in formal or technical contexts, use 脱色 or 漂白. Overusing ブリーチ can sound overly casual or imprecise.
この工程では脱色が重要です。
Decolorization is important in this process.