洗髮水 / 洗发水
xǐfàshuǐ
The English phrase shampoo is translated into Chinese as 洗髮水 / 洗发水 (xǐfàshuǐ). If unsure, use 洗髮水 / 洗发水. Wiktionary also lists 洗髮精 / 洗发精 (xǐfàjīng) and 洗髮劑 / 洗发剂 (xǐfàjì).
Meaning: product for washing the hair or other fibres (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 洗髮水 / 洗发水 | xǐfàshuǐ |
| 洗髮精 / 洗发精 | xǐfàjīng |
| 洗髮劑 / 洗发剂 | xǐfàjì |
| 香波 | xiāngbō |
| 洗髮露 / 洗发露 | xǐfàlù, xǐfǎlù |
In Chinese, shampoo is a noun referring to a product for washing the hair or other fibres.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 洗髮水 / 洗发水 is composed of 《洗》 (wash), 《髮》 (hair) and 《水》 (water/liquid).
Which one should you use?
While 洗髮水 / 洗发水 literally means 'hair wash water', 洗髮精 / 洗发精 uses the character 《精》 (essence/refined) and is a very common alternative. Additionally, 洗髮露 / 洗发露 uses the character 《露》 (dew/liquid) to refer to shampoo, often used in marketing to imply a liquid or lotion-like consistency.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the action of washing one's own hair with shampoo, Chinese speakers typically use the verb-object phrase 洗頭 / 洗头 rather than using the noun for shampoo itself.
How do you pronounce it?
xǐfàshuǐ
Did you know?
- The character 洗 used in 洗髮水 is also used for 'brainwashing' in the term 洗腦. Both rely on the idea of 'washing' something to change its state.
- In ancient China, before the invention of 洗髮水, people used a soap-like berry called 皂角 to clean their hair. The modern word for soap, 肥皂, still carries this historical root.
- The term 香波 is a phono-semantic match for 'shampoo'. It uses 香 for 'fragrant' and 波 for 'wave' to mimic the English sound while adding meanings related to scent and lather.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shampoo” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 香波, CC BY-SA 4.0.
