Housework & Cleaning
beginner家务清洁
Learn how to talk about household chores in Chinese — from sweeping and mopping to doing laundry, washing dishes, and keeping your home organized.
38 words12 phrases2 dialogues~25 min study time
Vocabulary
38 words — click any row for an example sentence
Cleaning
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 扫地 | sǎo dì | to sweep the floor | verb |
| 拖地 | tuō dì | to mop the floor | verb |
| 擦桌子 | cā zhuōzi | to wipe the table | verb |
| 吸尘器 | xīchénqì | vacuum cleaner | noun |
| 扫把 | sàobǎ | broom | noun |
| 拖把 | tuōbǎ | mop | noun |
| 抹布 | mābù | cleaning cloth / rag | noun |
| 灰尘 | huīchén | dust | noun |
| 擦窗户 | cā chuānghu | to clean the windows | verb |
| 打扫 | dǎsǎo | to clean up / to tidy up | verb |
Laundry
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 洗衣服 | xǐ yīfu | to do laundry / to wash clothes | verb |
| 洗衣机 | xǐyījī | washing machine | noun |
| 晾衣服 | liàng yīfu | to hang clothes to dry | verb |
| 叠衣服 | dié yīfu | to fold clothes | verb |
| 衣架 | yījià | clothes hanger | noun |
| 洗衣液 | xǐyīyè | laundry detergent (liquid) | noun |
| 熨衣服 | yùn yīfu | to iron clothes | verb |
| 烘干机 | hōnggānjī | dryer | noun |
Kitchen Cleanup
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 洗碗 | xǐ wǎn | to wash dishes | verb |
| 垃圾 | lājī | garbage / trash | noun |
| 垃圾桶 | lājītǒng | trash can / garbage bin | noun |
| 倒垃圾 | dào lājī | to take out the trash | verb |
| 洗洁精 | xǐjiéjīng | dish soap | noun |
| 擦灶台 | cā zàotái | to wipe the stove | verb |
| 垃圾分类 | lājī fēnlèi | garbage sorting / recycling | noun |
| 刷锅 | shuā guō | to scrub the pot | verb |
Organization
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 整理 | zhěnglǐ | to tidy up / to organize | verb |
| 收拾 | shōushi | to tidy up / to put in order | verb |
| 干净 | gānjìng | clean | adjective |
| 脏 | zāng | dirty | adjective |
| 乱 | luàn | messy / disorderly | adjective |
| 整齐 | zhěngqí | neat / tidy | adjective |
| 家务 | jiāwù | housework / household chores | noun |
| 铺床 | pū chuáng | to make the bed | verb |
| 放好 | fàng hǎo | to put away properly | verb |
| 阳台 | yángtái | balcony | noun |
| 轮到 | lún dào | to be one's turn | verb |
| 分工 | fēngōng | division of labor / to divide up tasks | noun |
Key Phrases
Essential expressions
该打扫卫生了。
Gāi dǎsǎo wèishēng le.
It is time to clean up.
When the house is getting dirty and someone needs to start cleaning.
今天轮到谁洗碗？
Jīntiān lún dào shéi xǐ wǎn?
Whose turn is it to wash the dishes today?
When roommates or family members take turns doing dishes.
地板好脏，需要拖一下。
Dìbǎn hǎo zāng, xūyào tuō yīxià.
The floor is really dirty; it needs to be mopped.
Noticing the floor is dirty and suggesting it be mopped.
你把你的房间收拾一下吧。
Nǐ bǎ nǐ de fángjiān shōushi yīxià ba.
You should tidy up your room.
A parent or roommate asking someone to clean their room.
洗衣机里的衣服洗好了。
Xǐyījī lǐ de yīfu xǐ hǎo le.
The clothes in the washing machine are done.
Letting someone know the laundry cycle is finished.
帮我把衣服晾一下。
Bāng wǒ bǎ yīfu liàng yīxià.
Help me hang the clothes to dry.
Asking for help after the laundry is washed.
垃圾桶满了，该倒了。
Lājītǒng mǎn le, gāi dào le.
The trash can is full; it should be emptied.
Noticing the garbage needs to be taken out.
我们分一下工吧。
Wǒmen fēn yīxià gōng ba.
Let us divide up the chores.
Suggesting that roommates split the housework.
家里乱七八糟的。
Jiā lǐ luàn qī bā zāo de.
The house is a total mess.
Describing a very messy home, often with exasperation.
我已经把碗洗了。
Wǒ yǐjīng bǎ wǎn xǐ le.
I have already washed the dishes.
Letting someone know the dishes are done.
过年前要大扫除。
Guò nián qián yào dà sǎochú.
We need to do a big cleaning before the New Year.
Referring to the Chinese tradition of thorough cleaning before Spring Festival.
你能帮我倒一下垃圾吗？
Nǐ néng bāng wǒ dào yīxià lājī ma?
Can you help me take out the trash?
Politely asking for help with the garbage.
Dialogues
Practice conversations
Dividing the Chores
Two roommates, Xiǎo Wáng and Xiǎo Zhāng, decide to split up the weekend housework.
Speaker A
小张，我们的房子太脏了，今天一起打扫一下吧。
Speaker B
好啊。我们分一下工吧，你想做什么？
Speaker A
我来扫地拖地吧。你去洗碗、擦桌子，怎么样？
Speaker B
没问题。那衣服呢？洗衣机里还有一堆脏衣服。
Speaker A
我先把洗衣机打开，洗完以后你帮我去晾一下。
Speaker B
好的。对了，垃圾桶也满了，谁去倒垃圾？
Speaker A
我去吧。下楼的时候顺便倒。以后我们排个值日表吧。
Speaker B
好主意！这样就不会每次都吵来吵去了。
Cultural note: Shared apartments are very common in Chinese cities, especially among young professionals. Having a clear chore schedule (值日表 zhírìbiǎo) is a common way to keep the peace between roommates.
Spring Cleaning Before the New Year
A mother and her son are preparing for the annual deep cleaning before Chinese New Year.
Speaker A
快过年了，我们得把家里好好打扫一下。
Speaker B
妈，每年都要大扫除，好累啊。
Speaker A
这是传统！打扫干净才能迎接新的一年。你先去擦窗户。
Speaker B
好吧。擦完窗户以后呢？
Speaker A
把你房间的东西都整理好，不要的东西扔掉。
Speaker B
那你呢，妈？
Speaker A
我去擦灶台、洗油烟机。厨房一年没深度清洁了。
Speaker B
好吧，那我们开始吧。希望今年能快点打扫完。
Cultural note: The annual deep cleaning before Chinese New Year (大扫除 dà sǎochú) is a deeply rooted tradition. It symbolizes sweeping away bad luck from the old year and making room for good fortune in the new year.
Cultural Notes
Context that textbooks miss
Test Yourself
8 questions covering vocabulary, phrases, and dialogue comprehension.
Take the Housework & Cleaning Quiz (8 questions)→HSK Level Overlap
15 of 38 words appear in HSK levels
Further Reading
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