手指消毒液
shushi shōdokueki
Hand sanitizer in Japanese is 手指消毒液 (shushi shōdokueki).
手指消毒液 is the formal, technical term often seen on product labels or in medical instructions.
Meaning: liquid (noun)
Which one should you use?
In many daily contexts, people often refer to hand sanitizer as アルコール消毒液 (alcohol disinfectant liquid).
How do you pronounce it?
shushi shōdokueki
Did you know?
- In a restaurant setting, Japanese speakers may simply ask for アルコール (alcohol) when they actually want hand sanitizer.
- Japanese labels often distinguish between 消毒 (shōdoku), which is sterilization, and 除菌 (jokin), which means removing bacteria, though both appear on sanitizer bottles.
- The term 手指 (shushi) combines the characters for 'finger' and 'hand', explicitly reminding the user to sanitize their fingertips and not just their palms.
Examples in context
- このアルコール消毒剤を使ってください。Please use this hand sanitizer.
Example conversation
Yui and Kenta are entering a store.
- 結衣 Yui健太さん、手指消毒液を使いましたか。Kenta-san, shuji shodokueki o tsukaimashita ka.Kenta, did you use the hand sanitizer?
- 健太 Kentaあ、忘れていました。A, wasurete imashita.Oh, I forgot.
- 結衣 Yuiここに手指消毒液がありますよ。koko ni shuji shodokueki ga arimasu yo.There is some hand sanitizer right here.
- 健太 Kentaありがとう、結衣さん。arigato, Yui-san.Thanks, Yui.
