Translation guide
Describes being completely soaked with liquid, usually water. Japanese has several vivid expressions for this state, ranging from everyday words to onomatopoeic and emphatic phrases.
To say that someone or something is thoroughly soaked, often from rain or water.
The most common and natural way to say 'drenched' or 'soaking wet'. Used for people, clothes, and objects.
雨でずぶ濡れになった。
I got drenched in the rain.
服がずぶ濡れだ。
My clothes are drenched.
Also means 'soaking wet', often with a nuance of being wet and dripping. Slightly more casual than ずぶ濡れ.
汗でびしょ濡れだ。
I'm drenched in sweat.
An onomatopoeic adverb/adjective meaning 'soaking wet'. Can be used as びしょびしょだ or びしょびしょになる.
雨で服がびしょびしょになった。
My clothes got drenched from the rain.
Literally 'wet mouse', an idiomatic expression for being drenched to the skin, like a drowned rat. Somewhat literary or old-fashioned.
彼は雨に降られて濡れ鼠になった。
He got caught in the rain and was drenched to the skin.
Specifically describing being soaked with sweat.
A common phrase meaning 'drenched in sweat'. びっしょり emphasizes being thoroughly wet.
運動して汗びっしょりになった。
I exercised and got drenched in sweat.
Means 'dripping with sweat' or 'all sweaty'. Very common in casual speech.
暑くて汗だくだ。
It's so hot I'm drenched in sweat.
Literally 'soaked in sweat', similar to 汗だく but slightly more emphatic or literary.
Describing a face or person soaked with tears.
Means 'soaked with tears', using the onomatopoeia ぐしょぐしょ for being wet and messy.
彼女の顔は涙でぐしょぐしょだった。
Her face was drenched in tears.
A more poetic or literary way to say 'drenched in tears' or 'wet with tears'.
彼の頬は涙に濡れていた。
His cheeks were drenched with tears.
Describing being covered or soaked in blood.
Means 'covered in blood' or 'bloody'. まみれ indicates being covered with something unpleasant.
彼は血まみれで倒れていた。
He lay there drenched in blood.
Literally 'stained with blood', often used in dramatic or literary contexts.
床が血に染まっていた。
The floor was drenched in blood.
Metaphorically describing being bathed or flooded with light.
Means 'enveloped in light', a natural way to express being drenched in light.
部屋は朝日で光に包まれていた。
The room was drenched in morning light.
Literally 'light pours down', often used to describe a scene drenched in sunlight.
木々の間に光が降り注いでいた。
Light was pouring down through the trees, drenching the area.
All three mean 'soaking wet', but ずぶ濡れ is the most standard and can be used in both spoken and written Japanese. びしょ濡れ is slightly more casual and often implies dripping. びしょびしょ is an onomatopoeic word that feels very descriptive and is common in everyday speech.
Avoid directly translating 'drenched' as a single Japanese word. Instead, use the phrases provided depending on the liquid or context. For example, 'drenched in sweat' is not 汗ずぶ濡れ but 汗びっしょり or 汗だく.
彼は汗みずくで働いていた。
He was working drenched in sweat.