The core idea: every wash is three acts
Sentaku (洗濯), laundry, is written with two kanji that both involve water: sen, wash, and taku, rinse. The machine, sentakuki, works in the same order every time. First arai: water, detergent and movement loosen the dirt. Then susugi: clean water carries the detergent away, usually twice. Then dassui, literally 'remove water': the tub spins fast and throws the water out.
Washer-dryers add a fourth act, kansō, drying, which many households skip in favour of the balcony. The diagram shows the order and the two moments when something is added: detergent before the wash, and softener, which the machine releases by itself in the final rinse. Every other button picks a script for these acts or changes one of them. At home, people rarely say they start the machine; they say sentakuki o mawasu, literally 'turn the washing machine'.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 洗濯機、回しておいてくれる？ | Sentakuki, mawashite oite kureru? | Could you get the washing machine going? |
| もうすぐ脱水が終わるよ。 | Mō sugu dassui ga owaru yo. | The spin is nearly done. |
| 終わったら干しておくね。 | Owattara hoshite oku ne. | I'll hang it out when it's finished. |
The panel in the order you press it
Makers arrange their panels differently, but the order of use is the same on every one, and the diagram numbers it. Dengen (電源), power, comes first. Then kōsu, the course. Step three is optional: the buttons for arai, susugi, dassui, water level, reservation and drying adjust the course. Last comes sutāto/ichiji teishi (スタート/一時停止), start and pause, which is a single button: press once to start, again to pause, and again to carry on.
Many panels show nokori, the time remaining, in minutes. Settings are often shown by small lamps rather than words: the lit lamp is the current choice, and pressing the button again moves it along.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| まず電源を入れて、コースを選んでね。 | Mazu dengen o irete, kōsu o erande ne. | First switch it on and choose a course, OK? |
| スタートを押すと、洗剤の量が表示されるよ。 | Sutāto o osu to, senzai no ryō ga hyōji sareru yo. | When you press start, it shows how much detergent to use. |
| Button | Reading | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 電源 | dengen | Power on and off; many machines switch off by themselves when left idle |
| コース | kōsu | Picks a ready-made programme |
| 洗い | arai | Changes the wash time |
| すすぎ | susugi | Changes the number or type of rinses |
| 脱水 | dassui | Changes the spin time |
| 水量 | suiryō | Sets the water level, usually in litres |
| 予約 | yoyaku | Sets when the wash will finish |
| 乾燥 | kansō | Adds or sets drying on washer-dryers |
| スタート/一時停止 | sutāto / ichiji teishi | Starts, pauses and restarts |
Courses: ready-made scripts
A course sets the length and strength of every act at once. Hyōjun (標準), standard, is the everyday default. Oisogi (お急ぎ), from isogu, to hurry, is a quick wash for lightly worn clothes, often written in hiragana. Mōfu (毛布), blanket, literally 'wool cloth', uses more water and gentler movement for bedding.
The delicates course has the most names: dorai (ドライ), osharegi (おしゃれ着), literally 'stylish clothes', tearai, hand wash, and others. All of them wash in water with very gentle movement and a short spin. The course called dorai is not dry cleaning, which a shop does with solvents. Below, flatmates choose courses; other courses you may see are listed after.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| このセーター、おしゃれ着コースで洗っても大丈夫？ | Kono sētā, osharegi kōsu de aratte mo daijōbu? | Is it OK to wash this jumper on the delicates course? |
| 毛布は毛布コースで洗ってね。 | Mōfu wa mōfu kōsu de aratte ne. | Wash the blanket on the blanket course, OK? |
| 急いでるから、おいそぎコースにしよう。 | Isoideru kara, oisogi kōsu ni shiyō. | I'm in a hurry, so let's use the quick course. |
- Nen'iri (念入り): a longer, more thorough wash for heavy dirt
- Sōsenjō (槽洗浄): cleans the tub itself, run empty with a tub cleaner
- Heyaboshi (部屋干し): settings for laundry that will dry indoors
Detergent, softener and where they go
Senzai (洗剤), detergent, is literally 'washing agent', and jūnanzai (柔軟剤), fabric softener, is 'softening agent'; hyōhakuzai is bleach. Most top-loaders have a tray for detergent and a separate slot for softener, which some machines label sofuto shiagezai, 'soft finishing agent'. Some take powder straight into the tub.
Why a separate slot? Softener only works if it stays in the clothes, so it must go in after the detergent has been rinsed out; the machine holds it back and flushes it in during the final rinse. On many machines you press sutāto, the machine weighs the load, and the display shows how much detergent to add. Two flatmates sort it out below.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 洗剤はどれくらい入れればいい？ | Senzai wa dore kurai irereba ii? | How much detergent should I put in? |
| 表示に合わせて入れればいいよ。 | Hyōji ni awasete irereba ii yo. | Just put in what the display says. |
| 柔軟剤はこっちの口に入れてね。 | Jūnanzai wa kotchi no kuchi ni irete ne. | Put the softener in this slot, OK? |
| この洗剤は、すすぎ一回でいいって書いてあるよ。 | Kono senzai wa, susugi ikkai de ii tte kaite aru yo. | This detergent says one rinse is enough. |
| すみません、柔軟剤はどこにありますか。 | Sumimasen, jūnanzai wa doko ni arimasu ka. | Excuse me, where is the fabric softener? (In a shop) |
Yoyaku: the button that counts to the finish
The reservation button, yoyaku (予約), is the most misread button on the panel. On Japanese machines it normally sets the time the wash will be finished, not the time it starts. Set yoyaku to eight hours at eleven at night and the laundry will be ready at seven, with the machine deciding for itself when to begin. The logic is practical: wet laundry should not sit in the tub, so the machine aims at the moment you will be there to hang it out.
Choose the course, set yoyaku, press sutāto, and add detergent when asked; many machines cancel with the power button. Night washing needs thought in flats, because the spin is noisy and many buildings and neighbours expect quiet late at night. At breakfast, a family talks it over.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 予約しておいたから、朝七時に終わるよ。 | Yoyaku shite oita kara, asa shichi-ji ni owaru yo. | I set the timer, so it'll be done at seven in the morning. |
| 予約を取り消したいんだけど、どうするの？ | Yoyaku o torikeshitai n da kedo, dō suru no? | I want to cancel the timer. How do you do it? |
| 夜遅くに洗濯機を回すのはやめよう。 | Yoru osoku ni sentakuki o mawasu no wa yameyō. | Let's not run the washing machine late at night. |
Beyond the basics: water, bath water and drying
Suiryō (水量), water amount, is set automatically on most machines once the load is weighed, shown in litres, and can be changed by hand. Some top-loaders have a furomizu or oyutori button, which pumps the leftover water from the evening bath into the machine through a hose: a very Japanese way to save water. Tap water is still used for the last rinse on typical settings.
Kansō (乾燥), drying, appears only on washer-dryers and takes far longer than the wash. Many families still hang laundry on the balcony, or use heyaboshi, indoor drying, on rainy days. Top-loaders, tategata, are the most common in homes, and drum machines, doramu-shiki, are popular for drying; the button words are the same. You will also meet the itokuzu firutā, lint filter, and the futa rokku, lid lock, which keeps the lid shut during the spin.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| お風呂の残り湯で洗濯してるよ。 | Ofuro no nokoriyu de sentaku shiteru yo. | I do the washing with the leftover bath water. |
| 今日は雨だから、部屋干しにしよう。 | Kyō wa ame dakara, heyaboshi ni shiyō. | It's raining today, so let's dry it indoors. |
| 乾燥までやると、三時間くらいかかるよ。 | Kansō made yaru to, san-jikan kurai kakaru yo. | If you include drying, it takes about three hours. |
When the machine stops: phrases for home and landlord
Scene one: a flatmate's wash has stopped halfway with water in the tub, and you check the obvious causes together in casual Japanese. Scene two: the machine that came with your flat shows an error, and you contact the management company politely. Using the machines at a coin laundry, with their payment steps, is covered in a separate post; the words for the three acts are the same there.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 洗濯機が途中で止まっちゃった。 | Sentakuki ga tochū de tomatchatta. | The washing machine has stopped halfway. |
| 蛇口、開いてる？ | Jaguchi, aiteru? | Is the tap open? |
| ふたがロックされていて開きません。 | Futa ga rokku sarete ite akimasen. | The lid is locked and won't open. |
| エラー表示が出て、動かなくなりました。 | Erā hyōji ga dete, ugokanaku narimashita. | An error code came up and it stopped working. |
| 排水がうまくいかないみたいです。 | Haisui ga umaku ikanai mitai desu. | It doesn't seem to be draining properly. |
| 備え付けの洗濯機なので、見ていただけますか。 | Sonaetsuke no sentakuki na node, mite itadakemasu ka. | It's the machine that came with the flat, so could you take a look? |
Common mistakes with a Japanese washing machine
Treating yoyaku as a delayed start. The cause is the idea of a timer as a countdown to starting. Japanese machines count to the finish, so a yoyaku of three hours means done in three hours.
Choosing the dorai course for a garment that may only be dry cleaned. The cause is the loanword, which sounds like dry cleaning. The course washes in water; such a garment belongs at a kurīningu shop.
Pouring softener into the detergent tray. The cause is two similar slots labelled in kanji. Softener added at the start is rinsed away before it can work; look for jūnanzai or sofuto shiagezai.
Pressing sutāto and waiting while nothing fills. The cause is the machine's own tap, jaguchi, or suisen in manuals, which many residents close between washes to guard against leaks. Open it first.
Pausing with ichiji teishi and walking away. The cause is reading teishi, stop, as the end. It is a pause: the machine waits, sometimes full of water, until you press it again.