1.
dirt; grime; body grime; dead skin
Accumulated dirt or dead skin on the body, or built-up grime on surfaces.
垢を落とす。
To scrub off grime.
風呂で体の垢をしっかり洗った。
I scrubbed the grime off my body thoroughly in the bath.
タイルの目地に垢がたまって、なかなか落ちない。
Grime has built up in the tile grout and won't come off easily.
2.
worldly desires; spiritual impurity
In Buddhist-influenced usage, refers to spiritual defilement or worldly attachments that cloud the mind.
心の垢を落とす。
To cleanse one's spiritual impurities.
旅に出て、日常の垢を洗い流したい。
I want to go on a trip and wash away the grime of daily life.
長年の垢にまみれた組織を改革する必要がある。
There is a need to reform the organization, steeped in years of accumulated corruption.
Refers primarily to the grime or dead skin that accumulates on the body, and by extension to built-up dirt on surfaces. The figurative sense of spiritual or moral impurity is common in literary and Buddhist contexts.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 垢を落とす — to scrub off grime
- 垢がたまる — grime builds up
- 垢にまみれる — to be covered in grime/corruption
- 垢抜ける — to become refined, sophisticated (lit. to shed one's grime)
IDIOMS:
- 垢も身のうち — 'Even grime is part of the body'; said humorously to excuse not bathing
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 汚れ — dirt, stain; broader term for any kind of dirtiness
- 埃 — dust; airborne particles that settle on surfaces
- 錆 — rust; corrosion on metal specifically