Translation guide
The English word 'litter' has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common ones for learners: trash left in public, a group of newborn animals, the material used in pet toilets or animal bedding, and a stretcher for carrying people. It also notes less common meanings like scattered objects and a historical sedan chair.
Express the idea of trash, garbage, or discarded items that are left in streets, parks, or other public areas.
The most common and general word for trash or garbage. When used in context, it can refer to litter, but it doesn't inherently mean 'littered trash'. Often combined with verbs like 捨てる (throw away) or 落ちている (be dropped).
Please don't litter in the park.
There's litter on the street.
Specifically refers to the act of littering, especially casually tossing trash on the ground. Often used in anti-littering campaigns.
Let's stop littering.
You can be fined for littering cigarette butts.
Literally 'scattered trash'. A more formal or descriptive term often used in official contexts or reports about littering.
Litter on the beaches has become a problem.
Refer to a group of baby animals born to the same mother at the same time, such as kittens, puppies, or piglets.
The most direct translation for a litter of animals. 一腹 means 'one belly/birth', and 子 means 'offspring'. It is used for animals like cats, dogs, pigs, etc.
Our cat had a litter of kittens.
The dog gave birth to a litter of six puppies.
Simply 'offspring' or 'young'. In context, it can mean a litter, but it's less specific. Often used with counters like 匹 (for small animals).
Literally 'same-belly offspring'. Emphasizes that the animals are from the same litter. More technical or precise.
These puppies are from the same litter.
Refer to the absorbent material used in a cat's litter box or as bedding for small animals like hamsters or rabbits.
Specifically 'cat litter'. The standard term for the granular material used in a cat's toilet box.
I need to buy cat litter.
This cat litter is the clumping type.
Literally 'toilet sand'. A broader term that can refer to litter for various small pets, but most commonly used for cats.
I change the rabbit's litter.
General term for bedding material for animals, such as wood shavings or paper. Not specifically for toilets, but for the floor of a cage.
I changed the hamster's litter (bedding).
Refer to a device for carrying a sick or injured person, typically consisting of a frame with a canvas or other material.
Describe a messy scattering of things, such as papers, clothes, or leaves, often implying disorder.
A verb phrase meaning 'is messy/cluttered'. Describes a state where things are scattered about. Not a direct noun for 'litter', but used to describe the situation.
The room is littered with stuff. / The room is a mess.
Noun meaning 'dispersion' or 'scattering'. Often used in compounds like 散乱ゴミ (scattered trash) or to describe a state of disorder.
Refer to a covered chair carried on poles by people, used in the past for transportation.
A traditional Japanese palanquin or sedan chair. This is a historical term and not used in modern contexts except in historical dramas or descriptions.
In the old days, princesses traveled by litter (palanquin).
In English, 'litter' specifically means trash that has been improperly discarded in public places. The Japanese word ゴミ (garbage) is broader. To emphasize the act of littering, use ポイ捨て or phrases like ゴミを捨てる (throw away trash) with a location such as 道に (on the street).
English distinguishes between 'litter' (trash in public places), 'trash' (general waste, often dry), and 'garbage' (often wet/kitchen waste). Japanese ゴミ covers all of these. Context and additional words clarify the meaning.
The cat had kittens (a litter).
Please prepare a stretcher.
書類が床に散乱している。
Papers are littered all over the floor.