The Meaning of hosu [干す] In Japanese

干す
ほす
Romaji: hosu N5

What does 干す mean?

Translation and Meaning

to dry, to air-dry, to sun-dry

Definition

干す means to dry something by removing moisture, typically by air or sunlight; it describes the act of exposing an item to air or sun until it becomes dry, usually with a direct object.

Type

verb (godan)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • to dry something by removing moisture, typically using air or sunlight
  • to hang out or spread items so they become dry, such as clothing or laundry
  • to dry foods or natural products as part of processing, e.g., fish or vegetables

Composition

  • 干: core meaning to dry;
  • す: verb suffix turning the concept into a verb;
  • they combine to express the act of drying an object by removing moisture

Usage

Used as a transitive verb in casual and polite speech to describe removing moisture from an object by air exposure; common with laundry, foods, and various materials; conjugates into forms such as 干します (polite) and 干して (te-form); typical contexts include drying clothes after washing, sun-drying foods, and air-drying herbs and vegetables.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: picture a sun over a clothesline; 干 suggests drying, and the す ending marks it as a verb — remember that this word means to do the drying.

Variations

  • 乾かす (かわかす) to dry by air
  • 濡らす (ぬらす) to wet

Example Phrases

  • 段々暖かくなってきたので、布団を干す。
    Dandan atatakaku natte kita node, futon o hosu.
    It’s gradually getting warmer, so I’m airing out the futon.
    Lista:
    • 段々 (dandan) – gradually
    • 暖かく (atatakaku) – warm
    • なって (natte) – become
    • きた (kita) – has come
    • ので (node) – because
    • 布団を (futon o) – futon (object marker)
    • 干す (hosu) – to hang (to dry)
    Core point: 「段々」 marks a gradual change and modifies the following 暖かくなる phrase; here it shows warming over time before the clause 「なってきた」.
  • 洗濯物をベランダで干す。
    Sentakumono o beranda de hosu.
    I hang the laundry on the balcony to dry.
    Lista:
    • 洗濯物 (sentakumono) – laundry
    • を (o) – object marker
    • ベランダ (beranda) – balcony
    • で (de) – location marker
    • 干す (hosu) – to dry / to hang out to dry
    Here 「干す」 means to dry or hang out to dry; the sentence uses 「洗濯物」をベランダで干す, with を marking the object and で indicating location.
干す