Translation guide
How to express 'clear away' in Japanese, covering removing objects, tidying up, clearing tables, and figurative clearing of doubts or obstacles.
To remove items from a surface or area, often to make it clean or organized.
The most common verb for tidying up or putting things away. It implies clearing away clutter and returning items to their proper places.
机の上の本を片付けてください。
Please clear away the books on the desk.
おもちゃを片付けなさい。
Clear away your toys.
To remove something unwanted or obstructive. More formal than 片付ける and often used for obstacles, dirt, or abstract things.
障害物を取り除いてください。
Please clear away the obstacles.
雪を取り除くのに時間がかかった。
It took time to clear away the snow.
Formal term for removal, often used for structures, equipment, or large-scale clearing. Common in official contexts.
工事の後、機材を撤去した。
After the construction, they cleared away the equipment.
To remove dishes, leftovers, etc. from the dining table after a meal.
Polite and common way to say 'clear the table'. Literally 'lower the dishes', implying removal from the table.
食べ終わったら、食器を下げてください。
When you finish eating, please clear away the dishes.
Also used for clearing the table, though it can refer to tidying up in general. Context makes it clear.
テーブルを片付けましょう。
Let's clear away the table.
To remove mental obstacles like doubts, suspicions, or confusion.
Idiomatic phrase meaning to clear away suspicion or doubt. 晴らす means to dispel or clear up.
彼の説明で疑いが晴れた。
His explanation cleared away my doubts.
To resolve or clear away a misunderstanding. 解く means to untie or solve.
話し合って誤解を解きましょう。
Let's talk and clear away the misunderstanding.
Formal word meaning to wipe out or dispel (doubts, anxieties). Often used in written or formal speech.
不安を払拭するために説明会を開いた。
We held a briefing to clear away anxieties.
For clouds, fog, or weather phenomena to disappear.
Intransitive verb meaning for the sky to clear up or for clouds/fog to lift. Not used with an object.
雲が晴れて、青空が見えた。
The clouds cleared away and the blue sky appeared.
General verb for disappearing; can be used for fog or mist clearing away.
霧が消えた。
The fog cleared away.
片付ける focuses on tidying and putting things in order, while 取り除く emphasizes removal of unwanted items. Use 片付ける for everyday cleaning and 取り除く for obstacles or abstract things.
片付ける can mean 'to finish off' or 'to deal with' a person in a negative sense (e.g., to kill or defeat). Avoid using it when you mean 'to clear someone away' unless you intend that nuance.