水
mizu[mʲizɨ]
The English word water is translated into Japanese as 水 (mizu).
水 refers to the inorganic compound H₂O.
Meaning: inorganic compound H₂O (noun)
Which one should you use?
In Japanese, the word for hot water is different from the word for water, お湯.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
mizu
Did you know?
- Historically, the word moi meaning 'bowl' was sometimes used to refer to the water inside it. This is the same linguistic process that created the English slang 'cuppa' for a cup of tea.
- The reading sui is used in many Japanese compounds, such as suiyoubi for 'Wednesday', which literally means 'water day'.
- The Japanese character 水 is also used as a radical to indicate that other words are related to liquids or fluidity.
Examples in context
- 水は冷たい？Is the water cold?Tatoeba #8796822 by bunbuku, translation #5121227 by crbk92
- 破水しました。My water broke.Tatoeba #121648 by small_snow, translation #282357 by ddnktr
- 断水しました。The water has been cut off.Tatoeba #127316 by small_snow, translation #276773 by CK
- ご飯 を お召し上がりになる前に、お水 を お出ししましょうか。Shall I serve you some water before you eat?
- 713 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Yui are at a restaurant.
- 健太 Kenta水をお願いします。Mizu o onegaishimasu.Water, please.
- 結衣 Yuiはい、分かりました。Hai, wakarimashita.Yes, I understand.
- 健太 Kenta冷たい水がいいです。Tsumetai mizu ga ii desu.I would like cold water.
- 結衣 Yuiすぐにお持ちしますね。Sugu ni omochi shimasu ne.I will bring it right away.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water” translations and entries 水, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 水, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
