Translation guide
The act of making something dirty, especially with bodily waste. This guide covers both literal soiling (staining objects) and the specific context of incontinence or accidental defecation.
To make a surface, object, or area dirty, stained, or unclean.
The most common verb for 'to soil' or 'to make dirty'. Transitive; used when someone or something causes the dirtiness.
The child soiled his clothes with mud.
Intransitive; means 'to become dirty' or 'to get soiled'. Used when the subject itself becomes dirty without specifying an agent.
White shirts get soiled easily.
Noun meaning 'dirt', 'stain', or 'soiling'. Often used to describe the state of being soiled.
The soiling on this carpet won't come out.
Accidentally passing feces or urine into one's clothing, often due to lack of control.
A polite, euphemistic phrase for accidental soiling or wetting oneself, used for both children and adults. Literally 'to make a blunder'.
My grandfather sometimes soils himself.
Commonly used for children's accidents (wetting or soiling). Can sound childish or informal for adults.
Medical/technical term for fecal incontinence. Used in clinical contexts.
汚す is a general verb for making something dirty (e.g., soiling clothes with mud). 粗相をする specifically refers to accidental incontinence (soiling oneself with feces or urine) and is a polite euphemism. Do not use 汚す for incontinence without context, as it may sound too direct or vague.
The English word 'soiling' in the context of incontinence does not have a single direct Japanese equivalent. Using 汚す alone might be misunderstood as general staining. Use 粗相をする or お漏らしをする for natural expression.
He's potty training and still sometimes soils himself.
I'm researching treatments for fecal soiling.