Japanese word

乾く

Pronunciation

Romajikawaku

Meaning

  • verbget dry

Example

雨の後で道が乾きます。ame no ato de michi ga kawa ki ma su

The road gets dry after the rain.

Illustration for 乾く (get dry)

More examples

洗った靴は一晩で乾きました。ara tta kutsu wa ichi ban de kawa ki ma shi ta

The washed shoes dried overnight.

Core concept

Describes moisture leaving something until it is no longer wet.

Common phrases

  • すぐに乾くsu gu ni kawa ku

    dry quickly

  • よく乾くyo ku kawa ku

    dry well

  • 完全に乾くkan zen ni kawa ku

    dry completely

  • なかなか乾かないna ka na ka kawa ka na i

    not dry easily

Similar words

乾燥するkansōsuru: To lose moisture and become dry, often through a natural or controlled process.
乾き切るkawakikiru: To become fully dry, with no moisture remaining.

Definition in Japanese

含まれていた水分がなくなり、ぬれた状態でなくなる。fuku ma re te i ta sui bun ga na ku na ri nu re ta jō tai de na ku na ru

Word origin

乾く (kawaku) is an old native Japanese verb, not a Sino-Japanese word or a loanword, and its secure historical origin is uncertain.

Usage tips

  • English dry can mean either become dry or make something dry, while Japanese uses 乾く (kawaku) for the first meaning and 乾かす (kawakasu) for the second.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word