Nuance & Usage
水 (mizu) generally refers to cold or room-temperature water. Hot water is お湯 (oyu) — an important distinction! At restaurants, お水をください (omizu o kudasai) is how you ask for water. The prefix お makes it polite. Note that 水道水 (suidousui) means tap water, while ミネラルウォーター is mineral water. In cooking contexts, 水 is used in recipes.
Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake is asking for 水 when you want hot water — you need お湯 (oyu). In restaurants, お水 (with the polite お prefix) is the standard way to ask. Also, 水 can sometimes feel too casual in service settings; using お水をください is more appropriate than just 水ください.
Example Sentences (3)
お水をください。
おみずをください。
Please give me some water.
運動の後は水をたくさん飲みます。
うんどうのあとはみずをたくさんのみます。
I drink a lot of water after exercising.
水と氷はありますか？
みずとこおりはありますか？
Do you have water and ice?
Quick Quiz
Quick Quiz
N54 questionsTest your knowledge of 水 with 4 different question types.
Want to practice this word?
Add to Fujiyama & Study with AI
Generate more example sentences, listen to native pronunciation, and review with SRS — all personalized to your JLPT level.