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N5Lesson notes · Oct 4, 2026

Bath in Japanese: お風呂ふろ (おふろ), 風呂ふろに入はいる, 湯船ゆぶね, 銭湯せんとう, and 風呂上ふろあがり

"Bath" in Japanese is お風呂ふろ (おふろ). To take a bath is お風呂ふろに入はいる (はいる), "to enter the bath", and to take a shower is シャワーを浴あびる (あびる). The tub itself is 湯船ゆぶね (ゆぶね), a public bath is 銭湯せんとう (せんとう), and the relaxed moment after a bath is 風呂上ふろあがり (ふろあがり).

The bath is a daily ritual in Japan: many people soak in a deep tub every evening, often after washing outside the tub first. The vocabulary reflects that culture, from the verb you use to the words for public baths and long soaks. This post covers the words and the etiquette behind them.

How do you say "bath" in Japanese?

What does お風呂ふろ mean?

お風呂ふろ (おふろ) is a bath, or the bathroom where you bathe. 風呂ふろ without お sounds rougher.

お風呂ふろ、沸わいたよ。 — The bath is ready. (casual) うちのお風呂ふろは狭せまい。 — Our bath is small. (casual)

The toilet is usually a separate room in Japanese homes. See where is the bathroom.

How do you say "take a bath"?

お風呂ふろに入はいる (おふろにはいる), "to enter the bath", is how you say "take a bath".

毎晩まいばんお風呂ふろに入はいる。 — I take a bath every night. (casual) 先さきにお風呂ふろに入はいっていい? — Can I take a bath first? (casual)

How do you say "take a shower"?

シャワーを浴あびる (あびる), "to bathe in a shower", is "take a shower".

朝あさ、シャワーを浴あびた。 — I took a shower this morning. (casual)

What other bath words are there?

What is 湯船ゆぶね?

湯船ゆぶね (ゆぶね) is the bathtub filled with hot water. 湯船ゆぶねにつかる is to soak in the tub.

湯船ゆぶねにゆっくりつかった。 — I had a long soak in the tub. (casual)

In Japan you wash and rinse outside the tub first, then soak, so the water stays clean for the next person — the verb for that scrub is 洗あらう, covered in wash in Japanese. As for the water, a bath too hot to get into is 熱あつい and a pleasantly warm one is 温あたたかい, and atsui and atatakai explains why 暑あつい, the word for hot air, never applies to a bath.

What is 銭湯せんとう?

銭湯せんとう (せんとう) is a neighborhood public bathhouse. 温泉おんせん (おんせん) is a hot spring with natural water.

近所きんじょの銭湯せんとうによく行いく。 — I often go to the local public bath. (casual)

What is 風呂上ふろあがり?

風呂上ふろあがり (ふろあがり) is right after a bath, often paired with a cold drink.

風呂上ふろあがりの牛乳ぎゅうにゅうは最高さいこうだ。 — Milk right after a bath is the best. (casual)

Word Reading Meaning
お風呂ふろ おふろ bath
お風呂ふろに入はいる おふろにはいる to take a bath
シャワーを浴あびる シャワーをあびる to take a shower
湯船ゆぶね ゆぶね bathtub
つかる つかる to soak
銭湯せんとう せんとう public bath
温泉おんせん おんせん hot spring
風呂上ふろあがり ふろあがり just after a bath

Beyond the basics

What is 長風呂ながぶろ?

長風呂ながぶろ (ながぶろ) is a long bath, and someone who loves them is 長風呂ながぶろ派は.

私わたしは長風呂ながぶろ派はです。 — I'm someone who loves long baths. (polite)

What is 一番風呂いちばんぶろ?

一番風呂いちばんぶろ (いちばんぶろ) is the first bath of the evening, with the freshest hot water. Traditionally, it went to the head of the household or a guest.

お客きゃくさんに一番風呂いちばんぶろを勧すすめた。 — We offered the guest the first bath. (casual)

What is 追おい焚たき?

追おい焚たき (おいだき) is reheating the bathwater, a button on most Japanese bath panels.

お湯ゆがぬるいから追おい焚たきしよう。 — The water's lukewarm, let's reheat it. (casual)

Common mistakes

  • Saying お風呂ふろを取とる for "take a bath". It is お風呂ふろに入はいる.
  • Saying シャワーをする. It works casually, but シャワーを浴あびる is standard.
  • Washing inside the 湯船ゆぶね. Wash outside, then soak.
  • Reading 銭湯せんとう as ぜにゆ. It is せんとう.
  • Calling the toilet お風呂ふろ. They are usually separate rooms.

Practice

Try each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair: bath versus shower.

1. Tell your family casually that the bath is ready.

Show answer

お風呂ふろ、沸わいたよ。 — お風呂ふろ.

2. Ask casually if you can take a bath first.

Show answer

先さきにお風呂ふろに入はいっていい? — お風呂ふろに入はいる.

3. Say "I take a bath every night."

Show answer

毎晩まいばんお風呂ふろに入はいる。 — お風呂ふろに入はいる.

4. Say "I took a shower this morning."

Show answer

朝あさ、シャワーを浴あびた。 — シャワーを浴あびる. This is the pair to question 3.

5. Say "I had a long soak in the tub."

Show answer

湯船ゆぶねにゆっくりつかった。 — 湯船ゆぶね.

6. Say "I often go to the local public bath."

Show answer

近所きんじょの銭湯せんとうによく行いく。 — 銭湯せんとう.

7. Say "Milk right after a bath is the best."

Show answer

風呂上ふろあがりの牛乳ぎゅうにゅうは最高さいこうだ。 — 風呂上ふろあがり.

8. Say politely that you love long baths.

Show answer

私わたしは長風呂ながぶろ派はです。 — 長風呂ながぶろ.

9. Suggest reheating the lukewarm bath.

Show answer

お湯ゆがぬるいから追おい焚たきしよう。 — 追おい焚たき.

10. Fix: 毎晩まいばんお風呂ふろを取とる。

Show answer

毎晩まいばんお風呂ふろに入はいる。 — お風呂ふろに入はいる.

Check お風呂ふろに入はいる against 浴あびる and 風呂上ふろあがり by describing your own evening routine in a trial lesson.

FAQ

How do you say "bath" in Japanese? お風呂ふろ (おふろ).

How do you say "take a bath"? お風呂ふろに入はいる.

How do you say "take a shower"? シャワーを浴あびる.

What is 銭湯せんとう? A neighborhood public bathhouse.

What is 湯船ゆぶね? The bathtub filled with hot water.

What is 風呂上ふろあがり? Right after a bath.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

お風呂	おふろ — bath
入る	はいる — to enter, take (a bath)
浴びる	あびる — to bathe in, shower
湯船	ゆぶね — bathtub
つかる	つかる — to soak
銭湯	せんとう — public bath
温泉	おんせん — hot spring
風呂上がり	ふろあがり — just after a bath
長風呂	ながぶろ — long bath
追い焚き	おいだき — reheating bathwater

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime. お風呂ふろに入はいる is the verb learners guess wrong most often, and 風呂上ふろあがり is the word that captures one of the best feelings of a Japanese evening. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or try the Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference dictionaries.

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