廃物
haibutsu[ha̠ibɯ̟t͡sɨ]
The Japanese word for garbage is 廃物 (haibutsu). Wiktionary also lists がらくた (garakuta) and 廃品 (haihin).
Meaning: waste material (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 廃物 | haibutsu | [ha̠ibɯ̟t͡sɨ] (narrow) |
| がらくた | garakuta | [ɡa̠ɾa̠kɯ̟̊ta̠] (narrow) |
| 廃品 | haihin | [ha̠içĩɴ] (narrow) |
The terms in this list refer to various types of waste, junk or discarded items. While 廃物 refers generally to waste material, the most common and general term for garbage in Japanese is ごみ.
What does it mean word for word?
廃物 is composed of the characters for 'discard/abolish' (廃) and 'thing/object' (物).
Which one should you use?
The forms differ based on the specific nature of the waste: がらくた is used to describe junk or useless old things, whereas 廃物 refers to waste material in a technical sense. 廃品 is used in formal or commercial contexts to refer to discarded goods or obsolete items. Additionally, 粗大ゴミ refers specifically to bulky waste or large items that need disposal.
How do you pronounce it?
haibutsu
Did you know?
- In Japan, disposing of 粗大ゴミ or bulky waste often requires purchasing a special adhesive sticker from a convenience store to attach to the item.
- The word がらくた for junk is thought to be an onomatopoeia representing the sound of things bumping into each other.
- While がらくた sounds like a common noun, its historical kanji versions like 我楽多 can be jokingly read as 'many things for my own pleasure'.
Examples in context
- この地域では、産業廃棄物を正しく処理するための施設があります。In this area, there are facilities to properly dispose of industrial waste.
- 彼は本当にクズだよ。He's such a loser.
Example conversation
Himi and Ren are cleaning out an old storage room.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮、ここに廃物が多くない？Ren, koko ni haibutsu ga ookunai?Ren, isn't there a lot of waste material here?
- 蓮 Ren本当だね。全部捨てようか。Hontō da ne. Zenbu suteyō ka.You're right. Shall we throw it all away?
- 陽葵 Himariそうしましょう。袋を用意するね。Sō shimashō. Fukuro o yōi suru ne.Let's do that. I'll get some bags.
- 蓮 Ren助かるよ。一緒に片付けよう。Tasukaru yo. Issho ni katazukeyō.That helps. Let's clean up together.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “garbage” translations and entries 廃物, がらくた, 廃品, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries がらくた, CC BY-SA 4.0.
