石鹸

• Reading: せっけん
• Romaji: sekken
• Kanji breakdown: 石 (seki/ishi) — stone, rock; 鹸 (ken) — lye, alkaline
• Pronunciation: /se.kkeɴ/

Meaning

Soap. A basic household item used for washing hands and body.

Though the kanji 石鹸 exists, this word is also commonly written in katakana as セッケン or hiragana as せっけん. It refers to bar soap and liquid soap alike. At N5 level, learners encounter this word in daily hygiene and household vocabulary.

Examples

1. 手を石鹸で洗ってください。 Please wash your hands with soap.
2. 新しい石鹸はいい匂いがします。 The new soap smells nice.
3. 石鹸がなくなりました。 We ran out of soap.

Usage Guide

Context: bathroom, hygiene, shopping

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Borrowed from Portuguese 'sabão' during the 16th century when European traders introduced soap to Japan. The kanji 石鹸 are ateji (phonetic kanji), where 石 means 'stone' and 鹸 means 'lye.'

Cultural Context

Era: Early Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal