Translation guide
The English word 'wet' covers a range of meanings from physically covered in liquid to emotionally weak. This guide helps learners express these ideas naturally in Japanese, organized by the intended meaning.
Describing something that has liquid on its surface or absorbed into it, like clothes, ground, or hair.
My clothes got wet from the rain.
The towel is wet.
Transitive verb meaning 'to wet something'. Use this when someone or something causes something else to become wet.
He wet his hair with water.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to become damp/moist'. Used for slight wetness, often from humidity, not soaking wet.
The laundry is damp from the rainy season.
Noun/na-adjective meaning 'soaking wet' or 'drenched'. Emphasizes being completely wet.
I got soaking wet from the sudden rain.
Describing rainy, humid, or damp weather conditions.
Describing something applied wet that hasn't dried yet.
British/Australian slang for someone lacking strength or character.
濡れる only refers to physical wetness. Using it for a 'wet' person (cowardly) would be a mistake. Use 弱虫 or 意気地なし instead.
濡れる means 'wet' (often soaked), while 湿る means 'damp/moist' (slightly wet). Use 湿る for things like towels that feel humid, not dripping.
Be careful, the floor is wet.
Her eyes were wet with tears.
Japanese summers are wet (humid).
The laundry is still damp.
そんな意気地なしは嫌いだ。
I hate such a wet person.