Japanese word

片付け

Pronunciation

Romajikatazuke

Meaning

  • nountidying up

Example

食事の後で片付けをします。shoku ji no ato de kata zu ke o shi ma su

I tidy up after the meal.

Illustration for 片付け (tidying up)

More examples

子どもたちは遊んだおもちゃの片付けを自分でします。ko do mo ta chi wa aso n da o mo cha no kata zu ke o ji bun de shi ma su

The children tidy up the toys they played with by themselves.

Core concept

Refers to bringing a disordered space or unfinished matter into an orderly, settled state.

Common phrases

  • 片付けをするkata zu ke o su ru

    tidy up

  • 部屋の片付けheya no kata zu ke

    tidying the room

  • 片付けを手伝うkata zu ke o te tsuda u

    help with the tidying up

Similar words

整理seiri: The act of arranging things by sorting, grouping, or removing what is unnecessary.
整頓seiton: The act of arranging things neatly in their proper places.
掃除sōji: The act of removing dirt, dust, or waste from a place or object.
後始末atoshimatsu: The act of dealing with tasks or problems left after an event.

Definition in Japanese

物を所定の場所に収め、乱れた場所を整えて始末すること。mono o sho tei no ba sho ni osa me mida re ta ba sho o totono e te shi matsu su ru ko to

Word origin

片付け (katazuke) comes from 片付ける (katazukeru), formed from 片 (kata, "one side") and 付ける (tsukeru, "attach or put"), with the original idea of putting things to one side.

Usage tips

  • The Japanese noun 片付け (katazuke) is used for cleanup after meals, parties, and other activities, not only for organizing a room.

Other meanings

  • putting things awaynoun
  • settlingnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word