Translation guide
Grime refers to a layer of dirt, soot, or oily residue that builds up on surfaces, especially in urban or industrial settings. It is thicker and more ingrained than ordinary dust. In Japanese, the most common equivalent is 汚れ (yogore), but more specific words exist for sticky or ingrained dirt.
To refer to a layer of dirt, filth, or grime on surfaces, skin, or objects.
The most common and general word for dirt, filth, or grime. It can refer to any kind of soiling, from light dust to heavy grime.
There's black grime on the wall.
I wash the grime off my hands.
Specifically refers to grime or dirt that accumulates on the body, often mixed with sweat and dead skin cells. It can also mean grime on objects in a more sticky sense.
I scrub the grime off my body in the bath.
Oily grime or grease stains, often found in kitchens or on machinery.
The grease grime on the exhaust fan is terrible.
Soot or black grime from smoke or fire, often found in chimneys or after a fire.
I clean the soot grime from the fireplace.
To emphasize that the dirt is deeply embedded, sticky, or hard to remove.
汚れ (yogore) is the broadest term for any kind of dirt or grime. 垢 (aka) is specifically body grime or sticky dirt. 煤 (susu) is soot or black grime from smoke. Use 汚れ unless you need to be specific.
I wipe the grime off the window.
I remove earwax (ear grime).
Soot grime fell from the chimney.
The English word 'grime' also refers to a genre of electronic music. In Japanese, this is usually referred to as グライム (guraimu), a loanword. This entry does not cover that meaning.
The grime on the windows was thick.
He wiped the grime from his face.
This detergent works well on stubborn grime.