一滴
itteki
The Japanese phrase for 'drip' is 一滴 (itteki).
一滴 is used to describe the action of falling one drop at a time. For the actual verb meaning 'to drip', the form 滴る is used. In a medical or controlled context, you might use related terms like 点滴 or 輸液.
Meaning: to fall one drop at a time (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
一滴 literally means 'one drop', where 一 means 'one' and 滴 is the counter for drops.
Which one should you use?
While 一滴 refers to the unit of a single drop, 点滴 is the specific term used for a medical IV drip or the act of dripping liquid in a controlled manner. Additionally, 滴定 is the term used for 'Titration'.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
itteki
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the concept of 'drip coffee' is often written in katakana as ドリップ, treating the English word as a loanword rather than using 一滴.
- When counting drops, the pronunciation of the number 'one' often shifts to いってき (itteki) instead of the standard いちてき (ichiteki) due to phonetic ease.
- In Japanese, counters like 滴 change depending on the shape of the object, so you cannot use the same word for a drop of water as you would for a single piece of fruit.
Examples in context
- 点滴が必要です。(Tenteki ga hitsuyou desu.)An intravenous drip is necessary.
- ドリップでコーヒーを入れる。(Dorippu de koohii o ireru.)I make coffee using drip brewing.
- 一滴ずつ、水が落ちる。itteki zutsu, mizu ga ochiru.Water falls one drop at a time.
- 一滴ずつ、涙がこぼれた。itteki zutsu, namida ga koboreta.Tears fell one drop at a time.
- 一滴ずつ、薬を垂らしてください。itteki zutsu, kusuri o tarashite kudasai.Please drip the medicine one drop at a time.
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are looking at a leaking ceiling in the kitchen.
- 蓮 Ren天井から一滴ずつ水が落ちているよ。Tenjou kara itteki zutsu mizu ga ochite iru yo.Water is dripping one drop at a time from the ceiling.
- 結衣 Yui本当だ、バケツを置いておこうね。Hontou da, baketsu o oite okou ne.You're right, let's put a bucket there.
- 蓮 Ren結衣、バケツを持ってきてくれる？Yui, baketsu o motte kite kureru?Yui, can you bring a bucket?
- 結衣 Yuiわかった、すぐ持ってくるね。Wakatta, sugu motte kuru ne.Okay, I'll bring it right away.
