干洗
gānxǐ
The Mandarin phrase for dry cleaning is 干洗 (gānxǐ).
干洗 refers to the process of cleaning without water. If you want to refer to the establishment where you take your clothes, you can add the word for shop, 店, to the end of the phrase to get 干洗店 (dry cleaner's).
Meaning: process of cleaning without water (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 干, meaning dry and 洗, meaning to wash.
Which one should you use?
干洗 is often contrasted with 湿洗 (wet wash or regular wash) when choosing a cleaning method.
Is it said differently in some regions?
People from certain regions might use 乾洗 instead of 干洗.
How do you pronounce it?
gānxǐ
Did you know?
- The character 干 is used in the word 干杯, which means 'cheers'. It literally translates to 'dry the glass', implying you should drink your entire glass until it is empty.
- The character 干 can be a 'chameleon' word. Depending on the context, it can mean 'dry', 'stem', 'shield', or even 'to do' an action.
- Many modern Chinese cities have 'automated' dry cleaning kiosks where you use a QR code to lock your clothes in a locker, making the 干洗店 (shop) a place for pickup rather than a counter service.
Examples in context
- 你要干洗还是湿洗？Do you want dry cleaning or regular wash?This sentence is useful for asking whether someone wants dry cleaning or a regular wash using 干洗.Tatoeba #420222 by sysko, translation #1069181 by tigro1973
- 我需要把这件西服干洗一下。I need to dry clean this suit.
- 请问，干洗服务在这附近吗？Excuse me, is there a dry cleaning service nearby?
- 我明天要参加重要的活动，需要干洗几件衣服。I have an important event tomorrow and need to dry clean a few clothes.
- 这件外套有很多污渍，我想找家干洗店清理一下。This jacket has many stains, and I want to find a dry cleaning store to clean it.
- 这件西装需要干洗。Zhè jiàn xīzhuāng xūyào gānxǐ.This suit needs dry cleaning.
- 干洗的价格是多少？Gānxǐ de jiàgé shì duōshǎo?How much is the dry cleaning?
Example conversation
A man is asking a woman about a piece of clothing at home.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，这件衬衫可以水洗吗？Zhìqiáng, zhè jiàn chènshān kěyǐ shuǐxǐ ma?Zhiqiang, can this shirt be washed with water?
- 志强 Zhiqiang看起来只能干洗。Kàn qǐlái zhǐ néng gānxǐ.It looks like it can only be dry cleaned.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那我明天把它拿去干洗。Nà wǒ míngtiān bǎ tā ná qù gānxǐ.Then I will take it for dry cleaning tomorrow.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好的，晓雯。Hǎo de, Xiǎowén.Okay, Xiaowen.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
