Clean in Different Languages: “Clean” in Around the World

Knowing how to say “clean” in different languages is useful for travelers, language learners, multilingual households, and anyone interested in how everyday words vary around the world.

The word can describe something that is free from dirt, or it can be used as a verb when asking someone to remove dirt or mess.

In this guide, you will find clean in all languages represented through 70 widely spoken languages. Each entry includes the native translation, an easy English pronunciation, a natural example sentence, and the English meaning.

if you are searching for how to say clean in different languages, looking for useful clean translations, or simply curious about the word clean around the world, this list provides a practical starting point.

The exact translation of “clean” can change depending on whether it is being used as an adjective or a verb. The examples below generally use the everyday sense of clean as a verb or describe something as clean, depending on what sounds most natural in that language.

Language Native phrase Easy English pronunciation Example sentence English meaning

1 English clean kleen Please clean the room. Please clean the room.
2 Spanish limpiar leem-pee-AR I need to clean the kitchen. I need to clean the kitchen.
3 French nettoyer nweh-twah-YAY I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
4 German sauber machen ZOW-ber MAKH-en Please clean the table. Please clean the table.
5 Italian pulire poo-LEE-reh I clean my room every day. I clean my room every day.
6 Portuguese limpar leem-PAR We need to clean the house. We need to clean the house.
7 Dutch schoonmaken skhone-MAH-ken I will clean the kitchen. I will clean the kitchen.
8 Swedish rengöra RENG-yur-ah We need to clean the windows. We need to clean the windows.
9 Norwegian rengjøre RENG-yur-eh I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
10 Danish rengøre RANG-ur-uh Please clean the table. Please clean the table.
11 Finnish puhdistaa POOH-dis-taa I need to clean my shoes. I need to clean my shoes.
12 Icelandic þrífa THREE-va I will clean the kitchen. I will clean the kitchen.
13 Irish glan glan Please clean the room. Please clean the room.
14 Welsh glanhau GLAN-hai We need to clean the house. We need to clean the house.
15 Scottish Gaelic glan glan I will clean the room. I will clean the room.
16 Polish czyścić CHISH-chich I need to clean the window. I need to clean the window.
17 Czech čistit CHIS-tit Please clean the table. Please clean the table.
18 Slovak čistiť CHIS-tich I need to clean my shoes. I need to clean my shoes.
19 Slovenian čistiti CHEES-tee-tee We need to clean the room. We need to clean the room.
20 Croatian čistiti CHEES-tee-tee I clean the kitchen every morning. I clean the kitchen every morning.
21 Serbian čistiti / чистити CHEES-tee-tee Please clean the room. Please clean the room.
22 Bulgarian почиствам poh-chees-TAHM I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
23 Macedonian чисти CHEES-tee Please clean the table. Please clean the table.
24 Russian чистить CHEES-teet I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
25 Ukrainian чистити CHYS-ty-ty We need to clean the kitchen. We need to clean the kitchen.
26 Belarusian чысціць chys-TEETZ I will clean the room. I will clean the room.
27 Lithuanian valyti vah-LY-tee I need to clean the windows. I need to clean the windows.
28 Latvian tīrīt TEE-reet Please clean the room. Please clean the room.
29 Estonian puhastama POO-has-tah-ma I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
30 Hungarian tisztítani TIST-tee-tah-nee I need to clean the shoes. I need to clean the shoes.
31 Romanian curăța koo-ruh-TSA I need to clean the kitchen. I need to clean the kitchen.
32 Albanian pastroj PAHS-troy Please clean the room. Please clean the room.
33 Greek καθαρίζω ka-tha-REE-zo I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
34 Turkish temizlemek teh-MEEZ-leh-mek I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
35 Arabic ينظف YAN-zof I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
36 Hebrew לנקות leh-na-KOT I need to clean the kitchen. I need to clean the kitchen.
37 Persian تمیز کردن ta-MEEZ KAR-dan I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
38 Hindi साफ़ करना saaf KAR-na I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
39 Urdu صاف کرنا saaf KAR-na I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
40 Bengali পরিষ্কার করা porish-KAR kô-RA I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
41 Punjabi ਸਾਫ਼ ਕਰਨਾ saaf KAR-na I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
42 Gujarati સાફ કરવું saaf KAR-voo I need to clean the kitchen. I need to clean the kitchen.
43 Marathi स्वच्छ करणे swachh KAR-nay I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
44 Nepali सफा गर्नु sa-FAH GAR-noo I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
45 Sinhala පිරිසිදු කරනවා pee-ree-SEE-doo ka-ra-NA-va I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
46 Tamil சுத்தம் செய் SOO-tham say Please clean the room. Please clean the room.
47 Telugu శుభ్రం చేయు SHOOB-ram CHAY-yoo Please clean the room. Please clean the room.
48 Kannada ಸ್ವಚ್ಛಗೊಳಿಸು swach-cha-go-LI-soo Please clean the house. Please clean the house.
49 Malayalam വൃത്തിയാക്കുക VRIT-tee-yaa-kku-ka I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
50 Thai ทำความสะอาด tam kwaam sa-AT I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
51 Vietnamese làm sạch lam sahk I need to clean the table. I need to clean the table.
52 Indonesian membersihkan mem-BER-see-hkan I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
53 Malay membersihkan mem-BER-see-hkan We need to clean the room. We need to clean the room.
54 Filipino maglinis mag-LEE-nees I need to clean the kitchen. I need to clean the kitchen.
55 Burmese သန့်ရှင်းရေးလုပ်သည် than-SHIN yay loat-dee I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
56 Khmer សម្អាត sam-AAT Please clean the room. Please clean the room.
57 Lao ເຮັດຄວາມສະອາດ het khwam sa-aat I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
58 Chinese (Mandarin) 清洁 qīng jié I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
59 Cantonese 清潔 ching git Please clean the table. Please clean the table.
60 Japanese 掃除する sōji suru I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
61 Korean 청소하다 cheongsohada I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
62 Mongolian цэвэрлэх tsever-lekh I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
63 Georgian გაწმენდა gam-TZEN-da I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
64 Armenian մաքրել ma-KREL Please clean the table. Please clean the table.
65 Azerbaijani təmizləmək tuh-meez-leh-MEK I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
66 Kazakh тазалау ta-za-LAU I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
67 Uzbek tozalamoq to-za-la-MOK I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
68 Swahili kusafisha koo-sa-FEE-sha I need to clean the house. I need to clean the house.
69 Afrikaans skoonmaak skhoon-MAHK I need to clean the room. I need to clean the room.
70 Zulu hlanza HLAN-za Please clean the room. Please clean the room.
Why “Clean” Has Different Translations

A simple English word does not always have one exact equivalent in another language. Translation depends on grammar, context, and the way the target language normally expresses an action.

For example, English uses clean both as an adjective and a verb:

“The room is clean.”
“Please clean the room.”

Other languages may use different forms for these two meanings. Some languages also change the verb depending on the subject, tense, politeness, or grammatical context.

That is why a dictionary translation may look slightly different from the phrase people naturally use in conversation.

“Clean” Around the World

The concept of cleanliness is universal, but the vocabulary used to describe it varies considerably.

Across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, the word associated with cleaning may refer to washing, removing dirt, making something tidy, or restoring something to a clean condition.

For language learners, learning the everyday verb is often more useful than memorizing a single dictionary equivalent. It allows you to form practical sentences such as asking someone to clean a room, explaining that you are cleaning the house, or saying that something is already clean.

How to Use “Clean” in Everyday Conversation

When learning clean in different languages, start with simple situations that you are likely to encounter.

Useful contexts include:

Cleaning a bedroom or house
Cleaning a kitchen or bathroom
Cleaning a table after eating
Cleaning shoes or clothing
Asking someone to clean something
Saying that a place is already clean
Talking about daily cleaning routines

Learning the word together with a sentence makes it easier to remember because you understand how the expression works in real communication.

Common Meanings of “Clean”

The English word clean has several related meanings.

Clean as an adjective

When something has no dirt, stains, or unwanted material, it can be described as clean.

Example: “The kitchen is clean.”

Clean as a verb

When someone removes dirt or unwanted material, they clean something.

Example: “I clean the kitchen every morning.”

Clean as a noun or concept

In some contexts, people use “clean” when talking about cleanliness, hygiene, or the process of cleaning.

Because these meanings are not always represented by exactly the same grammatical form in other languages, context is important when looking at clean translations.

Tips for Learning “Clean” in a New Language

If you are memorizing the word in another language, avoid learning the translation by itself.

Instead, practice it in a short sentence. For example, learn the equivalent of “clean the room” rather than memorizing only the word “clean.”

It also helps to connect the word with familiar daily activities. Imagine cleaning a table, washing a car, organizing a bedroom, or tidying a kitchen while saying the phrase aloud.

Finally, pay attention to pronunciation. Several languages contain sounds that do not have an exact equivalent in English, so the pronunciation guides in the table are intentionally simplified for English speakers.

Clean in All Languages: What to Remember

There is no single universal translation for the English word “clean.” The correct expression depends on the language and, in many cases, whether you mean to clean, clean, or cleanliness.

The 70 translations above give you a practical overview of how to say clean in different languages. They are especially useful for basic conversation, travel, language study, multilingual content, and vocabulary building.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. How do you say “clean” in different languages?

“Clean” has different translations depending on the language. Examples include Spanish limpiar, French nettoyer, Italian pulire, German sauber machen, Japanese 掃除する, Korean 청소하다, and Arabic ينظف.

  1. What is “clean” in the most widely spoken languages?

In Spanish, “to clean” is limpiar; in French, nettoyer; in Mandarin Chinese, 清洁; in Hindi, साफ़ करना; in Urdu, صاف کرنا; and in Japanese, 掃除する.

  1. Is the word “clean” the same in every language?

No. Languages use different words and grammatical structures for the idea of cleaning. Some languages also use different forms depending on whether “clean” is an adjective, verb, or another part of speech.

  1. Why can one language have more than one translation for “clean”?

The best translation depends on context. “Clean the room,” “a clean room,” “clean water,” and “clean clothes” may require different grammatical forms or vocabulary choices in some languages.

  1. What is the easiest way to learn “clean” in another language?

Learn the word inside a short everyday sentence. Practicing phrases such as “clean the room” or “I clean the house” helps you remember both the vocabulary and how it is naturally used.

Conclusion

Learning clean in different languages is a simple way to expand practical vocabulary while discovering how languages express everyday actions. From European languages to Asian and African languages, each translation reflects its own grammar and pronunciation.

For the best results, learn each translation with a real-life sentence and practice it regularly. This makes clean in all languages easier to remember and more useful in actual conversation.


Danny James

I am Danny James, an Administrator at LingoHives, passionate about languages, communication, and cultural diversity. I enjoy helping people discover languages, understand words, and connect with different cultures through simple, useful, and engaging content.

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