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.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to get wet'. Use this when something becomes wet by itself or due to an external cause without specifying the agent.
雨で服が濡れた。
My clothes got wet from the rain.
タオルが濡れている。
The towel is wet.
Transitive verb meaning 'to wet something'. Use this when someone or something causes something else to become wet.
彼は水で髪を濡らした。
He wet his hair with water.
Intransitive verb meaning 'to become damp/moist'. Used for slight wetness, often from humidity, not soaking wet.
梅雨で洗濯物が湿っている。
The laundry is damp from the rainy season.
Noun/na-adjective meaning 'soaking wet' or 'drenched'. Emphasizes being completely wet.
突然の雨でびしょ濡れになった。
I got soaking wet from the sudden rain.
Describing rainy, humid, or damp weather conditions.
Means 'rainy'. Use this to describe a wet day or weather caused by rain.
今日は雨の日だ。
Today is a wet day.
Phrase meaning 'humid' or 'high humidity'. Describes muggy, damp air rather than direct rain.
日本の夏は湿気が多い。
Japanese summers are wet (humid).
Describing something applied wet that hasn't dried yet.
Means 'not dry'. The most natural way to say paint or glue is still wet.
ペンキがまだ乾いていない。
The paint is still wet.
Noun meaning 'half-dry' or 'damp'. Used for laundry or surfaces that are not completely dry.
洗濯物が生乾きだ。
The laundry is still damp.
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.
気をつけて、床が濡れています。
Be careful, the floor is wet.
彼女の目は涙で濡れていた。
Her eyes were wet with tears.
そんな意気地なしは嫌いだ。
I hate such a wet person.