You probably already know what the phrase 洗手 (xǐ shǒu) means and can use it effortlessly in daily life.
There are a few steps to wash our hands, though. Do you know how to describe washing hands in Chinese? We have prepared 8 new verbs for you to help you describe washing your hands. 🧼
New Vocab
So, what Chinese verbs and phrases can we use to describe the process of hand washing?
- 洗手
- xǐ shǒu
- to wash hands
01. “TO TURN ON”
- 打开
- dǎkāi
- to turn on
- 打开水龙头。
- Dǎkāi shuǐlóngtóu.
- Turn on the tap.
02. “TO TURN OFF”
- 关掉
- guāndiào
- to turn off
- 关掉水龙头。
- Guāndiào shuǐlóngtóu.
- Turn off the tap.
03. “TO WET”
- 淋湿
- línshī
- to wet/to soak
- 用水淋湿你的手。
- Yòng shuǐ línshī nǐ de shǒu.
- Wet your hands with water.
04. “TO SQUEEZE”
- 挤
- jǐ
- to squeeze
- 挤一点儿洗手液
- Jǐ yīdiǎnr xǐshǒuyè.
- Squeeze some hand-washing soap.
05. “TO RUB”
- 搓
- cuō
- to rub
- 搓一下, 搓每根手指
- Cuō yīxià, cuō měi gēn shǒuzhǐ.
- Rub the hands, rub every finger.
06. “TO RINSE”
- 冲洗
- chōngxǐ
- to rinse
- 冲洗你的手。
- Chōngxǐ nǐ de shǒu.
- Rinse your hands.
07. “TO SHAKE OFF”
- 甩掉
- shuǎi diào
- to shake off
- 甩掉手上的水。
- Shuǎi diào shǒushang de shuǐ.
- Shake the water off (your) hands.
08. “TO DRY”
- 擦干
- cā gān
- to dry
- 用毛巾擦干手上的水。
- Yòng máojīn cā gān shǒushang de shuǐ.
- Use the towel to dry (your) hands.
We hope that this vocabulary list will be useful and the new eight verbs help you describe washing hands in Chinese. To learn more useful Chinese vocabulary, check out one of our blog posts 7 Makeup Items in Chinese
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