おしぼり
Meanings
1
wet hand towel; moist towelette
usually written using kana alone
A small, damp towel (often warm) provided at restaurants, bars, or on airplanes for cleaning hands before a meal.
When you enter an izakaya, a wet towel is brought out first.
In summer, a cold wet towel feels great.
Usage patterns
- 〈人〉におしぼりを渡すto hand someone a wet towel
The staff handed the customer a wet towel.
- おしぼりで手を拭くto wipe one's hands with a wet towel
I wiped my hands with the wet towel before the meal.
- おしぼりを温めるto warm up a wet towel
In winter, many restaurants serve warmed wet towels.