お湯 vs 水 and words for Water in Japanese
There are a few different words for water in Japanese. Depending on the temperature or if it is drinking water you will use different words.
INDEX
水 for Cold Water or just Water
The main word for water is 水. This is used when you are talking about water in general just like in English. The only exception is that it is not used when talking about hot water.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/お湯 for Hot Water
In English we can say hot water for the water we would make for tea or coffee. Or we could say bathwater for water in the tub. In Japanese, you don’t say either of the following
✖熱い水 – Hot water
✖温かい水 – Warm water
Instead Japanese has the word, 湯 which means hot water. Usually, it is said with the polite prefix お making it お湯 .
熱湯 for Boiling Water
If you are talking about boiling water or really hot water you would say 熱湯.
ぬるま湯 or Lukewarm Water
Lukewarm water is not quite cold enough to be 水. It is not quite hot enough to be お湯 either though. You refer to this temperature of water as ぬるま湯 in Japanese. This is fitting since the Japanese adjective for lukewarm is 温い.
お冷 for Cold Drinking Water
You can say 水 for cold drinking water. There is another word お冷 which is a polite word for cold drinking water.
So that is the different between 水 and お湯.If you want to learn more Japanese I reviewed a dictionary of grammar series which I personally recommend and use myself.
I also have several other posts on various topics on Japanese Universe if you are interested.
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