How to Say ‘The water runs.’ in Japanese
水は出ます。
mizu wa de masu
[mee-zoo wah deh mah-soo]
💬 Usage Tip: [水は] uses [は] to set the topic/contrast: “As for water (cold water), it runs.” Implies hot water might not.
🇯🇵 In Japan: This contrastive [は] is very natural in problem reports: it helps you sound clear without sounding overly dramatic.
Phrase Breakdown
水
mizu
[mee-zoo]
water
Noun meaning “water.” In a landlord/troubleshooting context, you can confirm that water still flows even if hot water doesn’t.
お湯は出ませんが、水は出ます。
Hot water doesn’t come out, but water does come out.
は
wa
[wah]
topic marker (“as for…”)
Particle that marks the topic. Here it sets “water” as the topic: “As for water, …”. Often pronounced “wa.”
水は出ますが、お湯は出ません。
Water comes out, but hot water doesn’t.
出ます
de masu
comes out; is available
Polite form of 出る. Used for water/gas, sound, results, appearances, etc.
お湯は出ますか。
Does hot water come out?
Words in this phrase
出
de
[deh]
to come out; to run (water)
Kanji stem of 出る (でる). With water, it means “to come out / to run (from a faucet).” Useful for reporting whether water/hot water comes out.
水が出ないので困っています。
I’m having trouble because no water is coming out.
ます
masu
[mah-soo]
polite verb ending (-masu)
Polite present/future form ending. Makes statements polite when speaking to a landlord/management.
水は出ますが、お湯は出ません。
Water comes out, but hot water doesn’t.
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