Chinese word

洗发水

Pronunciation

Pinyinxǐ fà shuǐ

Meaning

  • nounshampoo

Example

我忘了带洗发水。wǒ wàng le dài xǐ fà shuǐ

I forgot to bring shampoo.

Illustration for 洗发水 (shampoo)

More examples

我去超市买洗发水。wǒ qù chāo shì mǎi xǐ fà shuǐ

I am going to the supermarket to buy shampoo.

Core concept

A foaming liquid that loosens oil and dirt on hair and scalp so water can carry them away.

Common phrases

  • 买洗发水mǎi xǐ fà shuǐ

    buy shampoo

  • 用洗发水yòng xǐ fà shuǐ

    use shampoo

  • 一瓶洗发水yì píng xǐ fà shuǐ

    a bottle of shampoo

Similar words

洗头水xǐ tóu shuǐ: A familiar informal name for liquid used to wash the hair.
洗发露xǐ fà lù: A foaming liquid hair-washing product sold in stores.
护发素hù fà sù: A product applied after washing and rinsed out to leave hair smoother and easier to comb.

Definition in Chinese

用于洗头的液体清洁剂，通过与水起泡清除头发和头皮的油垢。yòng yú xǐ tóu de yè tǐ qīng jié jì tōng guò yǔ shuǐ qǐ pào qīng chú tóu fa hé tóu pí de yóu gòu

Word origin

The compound 洗发水 (xǐfàshuǐ, "shampoo") joins 洗 (xǐ, "wash") + 发 (fà, "hair") + 水 (shuǐ, "water") to name a liquid for washing hair.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, 洗头 (xǐtóu, "wash one's hair") names the activity, whereas this noun names the product, so both can appear in a sentence about packing for a trip.

Related words

  • 洗发xǐ fàwash one's hairverb
  • 洗发露xǐ fà lùshampoonoun

Word lists with this word