Usage patterns 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 に 行い く to go to the public bathhouse
After work, I went to a nearby public bathhouse.
〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 に 入はい る to go in and bathe at the public bathhouse
I bathed at a public bathhouse while traveling to relieve my fatigue.
〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 で 汗あせ を 流なが す to wash the sweat off at the public bathhouse
On summer nights, it feels great to wash off the sweat at the public bath.
Kanji 湯 hot water, bath, hot spring 洗 wash, inquire into, probe Related words 風呂屋 is a casual, everyday word for a public bathhouse, while 銭湯 is the more standard, slightly more formal term for the same kind of place.
浴場 is a broad, formal word for any bathing facility (including hotel or spa baths), whereas 銭湯 specifically means a fee-paying neighborhood public bath.
銭湯 refers specifically to a fee-based public bathhouse, while 風呂 can mean any bath, private or public.
温泉 refers to a bath fed by natural geothermal water, while 銭湯 is a public bathhouse that heats ordinary tap water.
Don't confuse with 温泉 is a natural hot spring, often part of a resort or inn, while 銭湯 is an urban public bathhouse using ordinary heated tap water.
銭湯 is a simple public bathhouse for washing and soaking, while スパ (in its facility sense) typically adds beauty and wellness treatments like massages.
Written forms 銭せん 湯とう Usage 99%
Standard kanji form; the most common spelling for a public bathhouse.
洗せん 湯とう Usage 1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners are unlikely to encounter it.
Etymology A compound of 銭 , “money,” and 湯 , “hot water” or “bath,” originally denoting a public bath used for a fee.
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