What does it mean word for word?
To express the verb "to sweat", the noun 汗 is followed by the particle を and the verb かく to form 汗をかく. To describe a person who sweats a lot, you can add the suffix かき to the noun to form 汗かき.
Which one should you use?
The different forms of the word indicate intensity and type of action. 汗ばむ is an intransitive verb used to describe the sensation of skin becoming slightly damp or just starting to sweat, often due to temperature changes. In contrast, 汗だく combines the noun with the suffix だく to describe being heavily drenched or dripping with sweat. While 汗をかく is the standard way to say one is sweating, 汗かき refers specifically to a person who is prone to sweating.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The standard verb form for "to sweat" is constructed by taking the noun 汗, adding the particle を and following it with the verb かく, resulting in 汗をかく.
How do you pronounce it?
ase
Did you know?
- In Japanese digital communication, the 汗 emoji or the character itself is often used to convey a feeling of awkwardness, embarrassment or being 'speechless' rather than physical exertion.
- Japanese culture uses the term 汗を流す meaning 'to wash away sweat' as a common metaphor for working hard or putting in a great effort toward a goal.
- The verb used for sweating, かく, is the same verb used for 'scratching' or 'digging'. This suggests a linguistic view of sweat as something 'scraped' or 'drawn' out of the skin.
Examples in context
- 汗だくだよ。I'm dripping with sweat.This sentence uses 汗 to describe being drenched in sweat.Tatoeba #8585709 by bunbuku, translation #21028 by CM
- すぐに汗ばむ。You sweat immediately.This sentence uses 汗 to describe the act of sweating immediately.Tatoeba #11027993 by small_snow, translation #12603460 by urro
- 私は汗かきです。I sweat a lot.This sentence uses 汗 to describe a person who sweats a lot.Tatoeba #8571357 by e4zh1nmcz, translation #5853199 by CK
- 「ランニングして、たくさん汗かいたよ！」I went running and sweated a lot!
- 「この暑さで汗が止まらない！」This heat won't let my sweat stop!
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daigo and Yui are walking home on a hot summer day.
- 大翔 Hiroto今日は本当に暑いね。Kyō wa hontō ni atsui ne.It's really hot today, isn't it?
- 結衣 Yuiうん、汗が止まらないよ。Un, ase ga tomaranai yo.Yeah, I can't stop sweating.
- 大翔 Hirotoあそこで少し休もうか。Asoko de sukoshi yasumō ka.Shall we rest over there for a bit?
- 結衣 Yuiそうだね。汗を拭きたいし。Sō da ne. ase o fukitai shi.Good idea. I want to wipe my sweat.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sweat” translations and entries 汗, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
