片付ける
katazukeru[ka̠ta̠zɨke̞ɾɯ̟]
The Japanese phrase for 'clean up' is 片付ける (katazukeru).
片付ける is a general term used to mean 'to clean up' or 'to tidy up.'
Meaning: to make an area or a thing clean (verb)
Which one should you use?
Use 片付ける when the focus is on organizing and putting items away. In contrast, use 掃除する when the focus is on cleaning dirt, dust or floors.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb is a transitive verb, so if you want to say 'the room was cleaned up' (passive), you use the passive form 片付けられる. Additionally, the noun form of the verb is 片付け.
How do you pronounce it?
katazukeru
Did you know?
- While 片付ける is used for tidying, if you say you are 'cleaning up' a crime or a mess in a shady context, you might use the slangy 片付ける to mean 'getting rid of' something or someone.
- The kanji for 片 in 片付ける means 'one-sided' or 'fragment', which implies the act of collecting scattered pieces into a single place.
- In Japanese schools, students are expected to 片付ける their own classrooms as part of a daily ritual called 掃除の時間, which is seen as a moral education in responsibility.
Examples in context
- 今日は部屋を片付けます。Today, I will clean up the room.
- 明日、家を掃除します。Tomorrow, I will clean the house.
- 今日、部屋をかたづけるよ。Today, I'm going to clean up the room.
- 明日、家をそうじするんだ。Tomorrow, I'm going to clean the house.
- 明日、友達が遊びに来るから、部屋を きれいに掃除する よ。Tomorrow, my friend is coming over, so I will clean the room neatly.
- 机の上を片付ける。Tsukue no ue o katazukeru.I will clean up the top of the desk.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 片付ける, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
