also: けがす
汚す · godan verb (-su)
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 汚す | 汚さない |
| Polite | 汚します | 汚しません |
| Past polite | 汚しました | 汚しませんでした |
| Past | 汚した | 汚さなかった |
| Te-form | 汚して | 汚さないで |
| Desire | 汚したい | 汚したくない |
| Potential | 汚せる | 汚せない |
| Passive | 汚される | 汚されない |
| Causative | 汚させる | 汚させない |
| Causative passive | 汚させられる | 汚させられない |
| Volitional | 汚そう | |
| Polite volitional | 汚しましょう | |
| Imperative | 汚せ | 汚すな |
| Conditional | 汚せば | 汚さなければ |
| Tara conditional | 汚したら | 汚さなかったら |
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
make dirty; soil; stain; pollute
Only with reading よごす
Physical soiling or contamination of objects, surfaces, or environments. The reading is よごす.
I got my clothes dirty with mud.
工場の排水が川を汚した。
Factory wastewater polluted the river.
godan verb (-su), transitive verb
Figurative use: to tarnish reputation, honor, or sacred things. Often read けがす, especially in literary or formal contexts. The reading よごす is also possible but less common for this sense.
彼の不正がチームの名誉を汚した。
His misconduct disgraced the team's honor.
神聖な場所をけがす行為は許されない。
Acts that defile a sacred place are unforgivable.
He disgraced his family's name with the scandal.
That remark was an act that tarnished his honor.
The factory's wastewater is polluting the river's environment.
Car exhaust is polluting the city's air.
汚す is the transitive verb meaning 'to make something dirty', while 汚い simply describes something as being dirty.
汚す means to make something dirty, the opposite of 拭く, which means to wipe something clean or dry.
disgrace; dishonor
eat messily; make a mess while eating
Kana spelling for the figurative sense; common when the rare kanji 穢す is avoided.
Rare kanji form used mainly for the figurative sense of defilement or dishonor, read けがす.