Meaning

Primary

Hand Towel

Alternatives

Towel, Tenugui

Word Type

noun

Explanation

You have the kanji for hand and the noun version of the verb for wipe. With a bit of imagination, that makes this a hand towel, or just a towel. They're a very specific kind of cloth towel, which is why you'll also often encounter them with their Japanese name tenugui.

Unlike お手拭き, which you learned about a few levels ago, 手拭い are always towels — never tissues. These thin, flat cloths are long and narrow, serving a variety of purposes beyond simply cleaning your hands. Their history is fascinating, so be sure to look them up!

Reading

てぬぐい
  • Miyuki
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

You have a standalone vocab () combined with the noun version of a verb (拭い from 拭う), which means that this uses kun'yomi readings. You've already learned these, so you should be good to go!

Context

Common Word Combinations

  • 手拭いを巻く

    to wrap a tenugui towel around something

    手拭いを使う

    to use a tenugui towel

    手拭いをかぶる

    to wear a tenugui towel on the head

Context Sentences

日本で手拭いを買ってきました。

I bought a tenugui towel in Japan.

手拭いは、ふつうのタオルとどう違うんですか?

How is a tenugui towel different from a regular towel?

うわぁ、かっこいい!ワニカニの手拭いがあるなんて知らなかったです。

Wow, cool! I didn't know there were WaniKani tenugui towels.

Kanji Composition