Japanese word

ばい菌

Pronunciation

Romajibaikin

Meaning

  • noungerm

Example

手を洗って、ばい菌を落とします。te o ara tte ba i kin o o to shi ma su

I wash my hands to remove germs.

Illustration for ばい菌 (germ)

More examples

傷口にばい菌が入らないように、清潔な布を当てます。kizu guchi ni ba i kin ga hai ra na i yō ni sei ketsu na nuno o a te ma su

I cover the wound with a clean cloth so that germs do not get in.

Core concept

Describes a microscopic organism viewed as something that can make people ill or make things unclean.

Common phrases

  • ばい菌が入るba i kin ga hai ru

    germs get in

  • ばい菌をうつすba i kin o u tsu su

    pass on germs

  • ばい菌を洗い流すba i kin o ara i naga su

    wash away germs

Similar words

雑菌zakkin: Unwanted microorganisms that contaminate or spoil something.
細菌saikin: A microscopic single-celled organism, some of which cause disease.
微生物biseibutsu: A living organism too small to see without a microscope.
菌kin: A microorganism such as a bacterium or fungus.

Definition in Japanese

病気を引き起こす細菌などの小さな生物。byō ki o hi ki o ko su sai kin na do no chii sa na sei butsu

Word origin

ばい菌 (baikin) comes from 黴菌 (baikin), whose parts are 黴 (bai, "mold") and 菌 (kin, "fungus or germ"); the hiragana spelling is common in everyday writing.

Usage tips

  • English speakers often use germs in the plural when talking about invisible microbes on hands, surfaces, or objects.

Other meanings

  • bacterianoun
  • bugnoun

Word lists with this word