Chinese word

脏

Pronunciation

Pinyinzāng

Meaning

  • adjectivedirty

Example

你的衣服很脏，要换一件。nǐ de yī fú hěn zāng yào huàn yí jiàn

Your clothes are very dirty, so you need to change into something else.

Illustration for 脏 (dirty)

More examples

房间很脏，我们来打扫吧。fáng jiān hěn zāng wǒ men lái dá sǎo ba

The room is very dirty, so let's clean it.

Core concept

Something visibly carries what should have been washed or cleared away, so it is no longer clean.

Common phrases

  • 衣服很脏yī fú hěn zāng

    clothes that are very dirty

  • 房间很脏fáng jiān hěn zāng

    a room that is very dirty

Similar words

干净gān jìng: Free of dirt and stains, with a clean and pleasant appearance.
肮脏āng zāng: Very dirty and unpleasantly unclean.
乱luàn: Untidy, with things scattered rather than put away.
整洁zhěng jié: Neatly arranged and well organized.

Definition in Chinese

表示衣物、房间、器物或身体表面附有污渍、污秽或异味而不干净，需要清洗或整理的状态。biǎo shì yī wù fáng jiān qì wù huò shēn tǐ biǎo miàn fù yǒu wū zì wū huì huò yì wèi ér bú gàn jìng xū yào qīng xǐ huò zhéng lǐ de zhuàng tài

Word origin

In simplified Chinese, 脏 (zāng, "dirty") represents traditional 髒 (zāng, "dirty"), while the same modern character also represents 臟 (zàng, "internal organ") in a different word.

Usage tips

  • Labeling a person with a cleanliness comment can sound insulting, so Chinese examples often name the clothing, room, or object and keep the remark focused on a changeable condition.

Other meanings

  • uncleanadjective
  • unsanitaryadjective

Opposites

Related words

  • 弄脏nòng zāngsoilverb
  • 脏话zāng huàswear wordsnoun

Word lists with this word