Translation guide
The English word 'residue' refers to a small amount of something that remains after the main part has been removed or used. In Japanese, the most common equivalent is 残り (nokori), but the best choice depends on whether you're talking about leftover food, chemical remnants, sticky film, or abstract traces.
The part of something that remains after the rest has been used, taken, or gone.
The most general and common word for 'residue' or 'leftover'. Used for food, time, money, etc.
残りのご飯は冷蔵庫に入れてください。
Please put the leftover rice in the fridge.
残りの時間で何をしますか。
What will you do with the remaining time?
A more formal term for 'residue' or 'remainder', often used in legal, financial, or technical contexts.
残余財産は寄付されます。
The residual assets will be donated.
A thin layer of something left behind after cleaning, evaporation, or use, often unwanted.
Literally 'remaining substance'. Used for chemical residues, sticky films, or any material left behind.
洗剤の残留物が肌に悪い場合があります。
Detergent residue can sometimes be bad for your skin.
この容器には化学物質の残留物が付着している。
This container has chemical residue adhering to it.
Refers to dregs, lees, or scum—solid residue left after filtering or brewing. Also used informally for worthless remnants.
コーヒーのかすを捨ててください。
Please throw away the coffee grounds.
Specifically refers to grime, dirt, or dead skin buildup. Not a general 'residue'.
風呂の垢を落とす。
Scrub off the bathtub grime.
Something that remains as a feeling, memory, or consequence.
Refers to a lingering trace or vestige of something that has passed, often with a nostalgic or emotional nuance.
夏の名残がまだ感じられる。
You can still feel the remnants of summer.
彼の顔には笑顔の名残があった。
There was a trace of a smile left on his face.
Lingering effect or aftertaste, often used for sounds, emotions, or artistic impressions.
Literary or formal term for dregs or remnants, often used metaphorically for lingering negative aspects.
Unwanted byproduct or leftover material from a process.
Same as above; the standard term for chemical residue.
農薬の残留物が検出された。
Pesticide residue was detected.
Technical term for residue, sludge, or leftover solids after extraction or processing.
残り (nokori) is the safest, most general word for 'leftover' or 'remainder'. 残留物 (zanryūbutsu) is specifically for physical residue, often unwanted. 名残 (nagori) is for abstract, emotional traces. Don't use 名残 for food or dirt.
残りのケーキを食べた。
I ate the leftover cake.
窓に洗剤の残留物がある。
There's detergent residue on the window.
昔の名残でこの町には古い建物が多い。
As a remnant of the past, this town has many old buildings.
English 'residue' is often used broadly, but Japanese equivalents are more context-specific. Using 残留物 for leftover food sounds unnatural; use 残り instead. For sticky film, 残留物 is fine, but カス or 垢 might be more natural depending on the substance.
テーブルにベタベタしたものが残っている。
There's a sticky residue on the table.
Often expressed with 残っている (is remaining) rather than a noun.
火災の残留物は有毒だった。
The residue from the fire was toxic.
The lingering echo of those words stayed in my heart.
To clear away the dregs of the past.
Disposal of the residue from the factory is a problem.