How to say "rubbish" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounRubbish and trash in the physical sense: household waste that you throw away. For a bag of rubbish or taking out the garbage, this is the word you want.
- nounRubbish as worthless stuff: old, broken or useless things lying around. It points to junky items rather than refuse, so for household garbage ゴミ is the word.
- noun, na-adjectiveCovers rubbish only in the figurative sense of nonsense: irresponsible or nonsensical remarks and talk. It says nothing about physical trash; for "that's rubbish!" meaning nonsense, this is your word.
- 廃物はいぶつnounWaste material or useless discarded articles — closer to scrap and cast-off goods than to household rubbish. For kitchen trash or a rubbish bag this is not the word you want.
- 塵ちりnounDust and fine dirt first of all, so it fits rubbish only as tiny particles or litter scattered around. It is not the word for a bag of garbage; use ゴミ there.
Use 「ゴミ」 for household waste you throw away, 「ガラクタ」 for worthless junk objects, 「でたらめ」 for rubbish meaning nonsense, 廃物 for discarded waste material, and 塵 for dust, dirt and litter.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
