Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| água sanitária | /ˈa.ɡwɐ sɐ.niˈta.ɾjɐ/ (Brazil) | feminine |
| descorante | /des.koˈɾɐ̃.t͡ʃi/ (Brazil) /d͡ʒis.koˈɾɐ̃.t͡ʃi/ (Brazil) |
masculine |
| alvejante | /aw.veˈʒɐ̃.t͡ʃi/ (Brazil) /al.vɨˈʒɐ̃.tɨ/ (Portugal) |
masculine |
| descolorante | masculine |
The term used depends entirely on whether you are referring to household cleaning, laundry or hair products. Use água sanitária when talking about the common household chemical used for cleaning floors or disinfecting surfaces. Use descolorante when referring to products used for hair bleaching or removing dye. For a general term covering various bleaching agents, such as powders or specialized laundry products, use alvejante.
What does it mean word for word?
The term água sanitária literally translates to 'sanitary water'.
Which one should you use?
Água sanitária specifically refers to the liquid sodium hypochlorite solution used for household cleaning and disinfection. In contrast, alvejante is a more general term for any bleaching agent, including powders or specialized laundry bleaches. Finally, descolorante is typically used in the context of hair bleaching or removing dye, rather than household cleaning.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Água sanitária is a feminine noun, while alvejante, descorante and descolorante are masculine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈa.ɡwɐ sɐ.niˈta.ɾjɐ/
Did you know?
- While água sanitária is the standard term in Brazil, people in Portugal are more likely to use the term lixívia for household bleach.
- The term alvejante comes from the verb alvejar, which relates to the process of making things white.
- If you are at a hair salon, you should ask for descolorante instead of alvejante to avoid sounding like you are discussing laundry.
Examples in context
- Tem cheiro de água sanitária.It smells like bleach.This sentence is useful for describing a scent using água sanitária.Tatoeba #5885165 by bill, translation #4016927 by CK
- Layla lavou as mãos com água sanitária.Layla washed her hands with bleach.This sentence is useful for describing an action involving água sanitária.Tatoeba #9065761 by gleydin, translation #6097177 by OsoHombre
- Você pode trazer um pouco de alvejante, por favor?Could you bring some bleach, please?
- A água sanitária é essencial para uma limpeza eficaz.Bleach is essential for effective cleaning.
- Eu preciso comprar água sanitária no mercado.I need to buy bleach at the market.
Example conversation
Felipe and Camila are cleaning the bathroom together.
- FelipeVocê viu a água sanitária, Camila?Did you see the bleach, Camila?
- CamilaSim, está embaixo da pia.Yes, it is under the sink.
- FelipeVou usar para limpar o chão.I'm going to use it to clean the floor.
- CamilaCuidado para não manchar o piso.Be careful not to stain the floor.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bleach” translations and entries água sanitária, descorante, alvejante, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alvejante, água, água sanitária, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
