Translation guide
Describes being completely soaked with liquid, usually water. Japanese has several vivid expressions for this state, ranging from everyday words to onomatopoeic and emphatic phrases.
To say that someone or something is thoroughly soaked, often from rain or water.
The most common and natural way to say 'drenched' or 'soaking wet'. Used for people, clothes, and objects.
I got drenched in the rain.
My clothes are drenched.
Also means 'soaking wet', often with a nuance of being wet and dripping. Slightly more casual than ずぶ濡れ.
I'm drenched in sweat.
An onomatopoeic adverb/adjective meaning 'soaking wet'. Can be used as びしょびしょだ or びしょびしょになる.
My clothes got drenched from the rain.
Literally 'wet mouse', an idiomatic expression for being drenched to the skin, like a drowned rat. Somewhat literary or old-fashioned.
He got caught in the rain and was drenched to the skin.
Specifically describing being soaked with sweat.
A common phrase meaning 'drenched in sweat'. びっしょり emphasizes being thoroughly wet.
I exercised and got drenched in sweat.
Means 'dripping with sweat' or 'all sweaty'. Very common in casual speech.
Literally 'soaked in sweat', similar to 汗だく but slightly more emphatic or literary.
Describing a face or person soaked with tears.
Describing being covered or soaked in blood.
Metaphorically describing being bathed or flooded with light.
All three mean 'soaking wet', but ずぶ濡れ is the most standard and can be used in both spoken and written Japanese. びしょ濡れ is slightly more casual and often implies dripping. びしょびしょ is an onomatopoeic word that feels very descriptive and is common in everyday speech.
Avoid directly translating 'drenched' as a single Japanese word. Instead, use the phrases provided depending on the liquid or context. For example, 'drenched in sweat' is not 汗ずぶ濡れ but 汗びっしょり or 汗だく.
暑くて汗だくだ。
It's so hot I'm drenched in sweat.
彼は汗みずくで働いていた。
He was working drenched in sweat.
His cheeks were drenched with tears.
Light was pouring down through the trees, drenching the area.