洗う

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The spelling is 洗う, read あらう, and it is a godan transitive verb for removing dirt or contamination with water or another cleaning agent.
• Basic usage: 洗う means to wash vegetables, shoes, the body, or another object so that it becomes clean.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A regular action before cooking and a completed removal of mud
  • The forms are 洗う and 洗った. The first states a general action of washing vegetables before cooking; the second is a completed past action performed on muddy shoes outside.
• Preparing vegetables before cooking and cleaning shoes outdoors
  • 料理の前に野菜をよく洗う。 — I wash the vegetables thoroughly before cooking.
  • 泥だらけの靴を外で洗った。 — I washed the mud-covered shoes outside.