Meaning
water; cold water
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
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
N54 questionsTest your knowledge of 水 with 4 different question types.
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