פּוצן
putsn
The Yiddish verb for 'clean' is פּוצן (putsn) or רייניקן.
Meaning: (transitive) to remove dirt from a place or object (verb)
Ways to say it
| Yiddish | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| פּוצן | putsn | |
| רייניקן | reynikn | /ˈʁɛɪ̯nɪkn̩/ |
Both words are transitive verbs meaning to remove dirt from a place or an object.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb רייניקן is derived from the adjective ריין, which means 'clean'.
Which one should you use?
רייניקן is the standard term for the act of cleaning. In contrast, פּוצן is more colloquial and often implies a sense of scrubbing or cleaning with significant effort.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
רייניקן is a regular weak verb.
How do you pronounce it?
putsn
Did you know?
- In traditional Jewish home life, the act of רייניקן takes on a heightened cultural significance during the lead-up to Passover, where 'cleaning' becomes a ritualized search for leaven.
- The word פּוצן is a cognate of the Middle High German 'butzen', which originally related to trimming or pruning before it meant cleaning.
- While רייניקן refers to physical cleanliness, the root ריין is also used to describe 'pure' or 'ritually clean' states in a religious context.
Examples in context
- זאָלסט נישט פֿאַרגעסן צו רייניקן דאָס אונטערשיט־קעסטל צוויי מאָל אין טאָג.Make sure you clean the litter box twice a day.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of רייניקן when giving instructions about cleaning a litter box.Tatoeba #11919627 by shekitten, translation #9146166 by shekitten
Example conversation
Yitzhak and Reizel are talking about housework in the kitchen.
- יצחק Yitzchakרייזל, קענסטו מיר העלפֿן פּוצן דאָס קוך?Reizel, kenstu mir helfn putsn dos kukh?Reizel, can you help me clean the kitchen?
- רייזל Reizelיאָ, יצחק, איך קום גלייך.yo, Yitzhak, ikh kum glaykh.Yes, Yitzhak, I am coming right now.
- יצחק Yitzchakדאַנק דערגאָר, דאָס איז זייער שמוציק.dank dergor, dos iz zeyer shmutzik.Thank goodness, it is very dirty.
- רייזל Reizelמיר וועלן עס מאַכן ריין שנעל.mir veln es makhn reyn shnel.We will make it clean quickly.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “clean” translations and entries פּוצן, רייניקן, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries פּוצן, רייניקן, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
