お湯
oyu
The Japanese phrase for warm water is お湯 (oyu).
お湯 refers to water that has been heated. It is used for water intended for drinking, bathing or general heating purposes.
Which one should you use?
Additionally, while お湯 is the standard term, 湯 (yu) alone is often used in the specific context of hot springs or bath culture.
How do you pronounce it?
oyu
Did you know?
- If you use the word 水 (mizu) to describe your bath water, a Japanese person might think you are actually asking for cold water. While it can mean 'water' in a general sense, お湯 (oyu) is strictly required to indicate the temperature is warm.
- Many traditional Japanese inns and public baths use the character 湯 (yu) on a large curtain or sign to signal that the bath is open for guests.
- The prefix お (o) in お湯 is an honorific used to show politeness or respect toward the object itself. This reflects a cultural tendency to treat even common household items with a level of aesthetic care and politeness.
Examples in context
- トムは浴槽にお湯を張った。Tom filled the bathtub with warm water.This sentence is useful for showing how to use お湯 when filling a bathtub.Tatoeba #8670253 by small_snow, translation #5843697 by CK
- お湯を少し飲んでください。Oyu o sukoshi nonde kudasai.Please drink a little warm water.
Example conversation
At a cafe, Himari is asking Ren to help her.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮さん、お湯をいただけますか？Ren-san, oyu o itadakemasu ka?Ren, could I have some warm water?
- 蓮 Renはい、すぐにお持ちします。Hai, sugu ni omochi shimasu.Yes, I will bring it right away.
- 陽葵 Himariありがとうございます。Arigatou gozaimasu.Thank you very much.
- 蓮 Renどうぞ、お熱いですよ。Douzo, oatsui desu yo.Here you go, it is hot.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
