拭く
fuku[ɸɯ̟̊kɯ̟]
To wipe in Japanese is 拭く (fuku).
The verb 拭く is used to describe the action of rubbing a surface in order to remove a substance. For the noun referring to a piece of cloth used for wiping, such as a wet wipe, the term ウェットティッシュ is used.
Meaning: to rub in order to remove surface substance (verb)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb can change forms depending on your intent.
How do you pronounce it?
fuku
Did you know?
- In Japanese dining culture, you might be handed an おしぼり (oshibori) to wipe your hands, but it is considered rude to use it to wipe your face or neck.
- The word 拭く (fuku) is a homophone for the word 吹く (fuku), which means 'to blow' air or a musical instrument.
- While 拭く (fuku) is the standard verb for wiping, if you are wiping away tears, the more common verb is 拭う (nugu), which carries a more poetic or emotional nuance.
Examples in context
- 窓を拭くの忘れないでね。I request that you not forget to wipe the windows.This sentence is useful for practicing a request involving the word 拭く.Tatoeba #10640421 by small_snow, translation #10724500 by terrywallwork
- 便座におしっこしちゃったら、ちゃんと拭くのよ！If you piss on the toilet seat, wipe it off!This sentence is useful for practicing a command involving the word 拭く.Tatoeba #75715 by mookeee, translation #328003 by Safari
- 窓を拭くTo wipe the windowThis sentence is useful for practicing the basic phrase with 拭く.
- 机を拭いてください。Please wipe the desk.
- 手を拭いてもいいですか？May I wipe my hands?
- 彼女は涙をぬぐった。She wiped away her tears.
- ちょっとテーブルを拭いてくれる？Can you wipe the table real quick?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta is helping Yui clean the dining table.
- 健太 Kentaテーブルを拭くよ。Tēburu o fuku yo.I'll wipe the table.
- 結衣 Yuiありがとう。お願いね。Arigatō. Onegai ne.Thanks. Please do.
- 健太 Kentaどこを拭く？Doko o fuku?Where should I wipe?
- 結衣 Yuiあそこを拭いて。Asoko o fuite.Wipe over there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wipe” translations and entries 拭く, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR, Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
