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Japanese laundry symbols, explained

Bought clothes in Japan, or from a Japanese brand? Here's what each care-tag symbol means, in plain English. Japan uses the same symbols as Europe since 2016 (standard JIS L 0001), but many tags still show the older version with Japanese words, so we cover both.

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Washing (the tub)

A tub of water means machine or hand washing. The number is the highest water temperature in Celsius. Lines under the tub mean a gentler cycle.

Tub with 30
Wash at 30°C. Machine wash in cool water, up to 30°C (86°F).
Tub with 40
Wash at 40°C. Machine wash in warm water, up to 40°C (104°F).
Tub with 60
Wash at 60°C. Hot wash up to 60°C (140°F). Fine for sturdy cotton and linens.
Tub, one line under
Gentle cycle. Use a gentle (permanent press) cycle with less spinning.
Tub, two lines under
Very gentle cycle. Use the delicate or wool cycle.
Tub with a hand
手洗い
Hand wash. Wash by hand in water no warmer than 40°C (104°F). Don't wring.
Tub with an X
Do not wash. Don't wash in water at all. Usually dry clean only.

Older Japanese tags (before 2016)

Japan switched to international symbols in December 2016. Older clothes may still show the old JIS tags, which use Japanese words inside the symbols.

Tub with 弱
弱 (jaku)
Weak / gentle. Wash on a gentle cycle.
Tub with 中性
中性 (chūsei)
Neutral detergent. Use a mild, neutral detergent like a wool or delicate wash.
Tub with 手洗イ
手洗イ
Hand wash. Hand wash only, in cool to lukewarm water.
Flask with エンソサラシ and an X
エンソサラシ
No chlorine bleach. Don't use chlorine bleach.
Circle with ドライ
ドライ
Dry clean. Can be dry cleaned.
Kimono shape (shirt on a line)
つり干し
Hang to dry. Hang on a line or hanger to dry.
Kimono shape on its side
平干し
Dry flat. Lay flat to dry so it keeps its shape.
Diagonal lines in the corner
日陰
Dry in shade. Dry out of direct sunlight to avoid fading.

Bleaching (the triangle)

Triangles are about bleach.

Empty triangle
Any bleach. Any bleach is fine, including chlorine.
Triangle with two slanted lines
Oxygen bleach only. Use only color-safe (oxygen) bleach. No chlorine.
Triangle with an X
Do not bleach. Don't use any bleach.

Drying (the square)

A square with a circle inside is a tumble dryer. Dots show the heat. A square without a circle means air drying.

Square, circle, two dots
Tumble dry, normal heat. Machine dry on normal heat (up to about 80°C / 176°F).
Square, circle, one dot
Tumble dry, low heat. Machine dry on low heat (up to about 60°C / 140°F).
Square, circle, X
Do not tumble dry. Keep out of the dryer.
Square with a vertical line
Hang to dry. Hang on a line or hanger after spinning.
Square with two vertical lines
Drip dry. Hang wet without spinning or wringing.
Square with a horizontal line
Dry flat. Lay flat to dry.
Diagonal line in the corner
Dry in shade. Add this to any of the above: dry out of direct sun.

Ironing (the iron)

Dots on the iron show the highest temperature.

Iron, one dot
Low heat. Up to 110°C (230°F). No steam. Silk, nylon, acrylic.
Iron, two dots
Medium heat. Up to 150°C (300°F). Wool and polyester.
Iron, three dots
High heat. Up to 200°C (390°F). Cotton and linen.
Iron with an X
Do not iron. Don't iron or steam.

Professional cleaning (the circle)

Circles are instructions for the cleaners. The letter tells them which solvent to use.

Circle with P
Dry clean. Can be dry cleaned with common solvents.
Circle with F
Dry clean, gentle solvent. Dry clean with petroleum solvent only.
Circle with W
Professional wet clean. Cleaners can wet clean it.
Circle with an X
Do not dry clean. Don't send it for dry cleaning.

Common Japanese words on tags

  • 洗濯機: washing machine
  • ネット使用: use a laundry net bag
  • 裏返し: turn inside out
  • 色移りに注意: color may run, wash separately
  • タンブラー乾燥禁止: don't tumble dry

Not sure what your tag says?

Snap a photo and WiseTurn reads the symbols and Japanese text for you. Your first scan is free, no account needed.

Scan a tag free