部屋を片付けて
heya o katazukete
To say "clean your room" in Japanese, use 部屋を片付けて (heya o katazukete).
This phrase is used to tell someone to put things away and organize a room to make it tidy. The word Heya means "room".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 部屋 (heya, room), を (o, object marker) and 片付けて (katazukete, the te-form of the verb "to tidy up/put away").
How does it change in a sentence?
The default form 部屋を片付けて is in the te-form, which functions as a casual command or request often used by parents to children or between close peers.
How do you pronounce it?
heya o katazukete
Did you know?
- The word 部屋 (heya) comes from an old word for 'partition'. This reflects traditional Japanese architecture where rooms were not fixed boxes but spaces divided by sliding doors called fusuma or shoji.
- In Japan, the act of tidying is often linked to the concept of 断捨離 (danshari), a philosophy of minimalism derived from Buddhist terms. It encourages not just organizing, but discarding the unnecessary to clear the mind.
- In Japanese schools, students are expected to 片付ける their own classrooms as part of a daily practice called 掃除の時間 (souji no jikan). This teaches collective responsibility rather than relying on a janitor.
Examples in context
- いい加減部屋を片付けてくれないと、足の踏み場もないじゃないか。If you don't clean your room, you won't even have a place to stand, don't you think?This sentence is useful for seeing how the phrase is used when expressing frustration about a messy room.Tatoeba #896631 by bunbuku, translation #896709 by Scott
- 部屋を片付けて、すぐに出かけよう。heya o katazukete, sugu ni dekakeyou.Clean your room, and let's go out right away.
- 掃除の前に、まずは部屋を片付けて。souji no mae ni, mazu wa heya o katazukete.Before cleaning, please clean up your room first.
Example conversation
A sister is telling her brother to tidy up his things before guests arrive.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮、お客さんが来る前に部屋を片付けて。Ren, okyakusan ga kuru mae ni heya o katazukete.Ren, clean your room before the guests arrive.
- 蓮 Renわかったよ、今やるよ。Wakatta yo, ima yaru yo.I got it, I'll do it now.
- 陽葵 Himari明日も言わせないでね。Ashita mo iwasenaide ne.Don't make me tell you tomorrow, too.
- 蓮 Renわかってるって。Wakatteru tte.I know, I know.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
