乾いた
kawaita
The Japanese word for 'dry' is 乾いた (kawaita).
The word is used to describe something that is free from liquid or moisture.
Meaning: free from liquid or moisture (adj)
Which one should you use?
While 乾いた is used for everyday objects like clothes or wood, 乾燥した is a more formal or technical term often used for weather or air, such as 'dry air'.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The form 乾いた is the past tense of the intransitive verb 乾く, but it is commonly used as an adjective to mean 'dry'. The verb 乾く is intransitive, meaning something becomes dry on its own, whereas the verb 乾かす is transitive, meaning to dry something or to make it dry.
How do you pronounce it?
kawaita
Did you know?
- If you say a person is 乾いている, you might be implying they are 'dry' in a way that suggests they lack passion or are overly pragmatic.
- While 乾いた describes physical dryness, the word カラカラ is an onomatopoeia used to describe the sound of something being completely dry or parched.
- In certain contexts, 'dry' can be expressed through the word さらさら, which describes a light, dry, and smooth texture like fine sand or flowing hair.
Examples in context
- 乾いた木材はよく燃える。Dry wood burns quickly.This sentence shows how to describe wood that is dry.Tatoeba #184056 by KK_kaku_, translation #21184 by Denizar
- 乾いたタオルを持ってきて。Bring me a dry towel.This sentence shows how to request a dry towel.Tatoeba #184058 by small_snow, translation #21186 by CK
- 私の靴下って、もう乾いた？Are my socks dry already?This sentence is a way to ask if socks have become dry.Tatoeba #8995003 by bunbuku, translation #18088 by CK
- 今日は空気が乾燥しています。The air is dry today.
- 私の肌は乾燥しています。My skin is dry.
- ドライバーが乾いた道路を走っています。The driver is driving on a dry road.
- このお菓子、カラカラしていて美味しい。This snack is dry and delicious.
- 冬になると肌が乾いちゃう。My skin becomes dry in winter.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are looking at the laundry outside.
- 蓮 Renこの洗濯物、もう乾いたかな？Kono sentakumono, mou kaita kana?I wonder if this laundry is dry yet?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、乾いたみたいだよ。Un, kaita mitai da yo.Yeah, it looks dry.
- 蓮 Renよかった。じゃあ、取り込むね。Yokatta. Jaa, torikomu ne.Great. Then, I'll bring it inside.
- 陽葵 Himari手伝うよ、蓮くん。Tetsudau yo, Ren-kun.I'll help you, Ren.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dry” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
