GUSSHO-RI ぐっしょり
Meanings
Describes clothing, bedding, or similar material becoming thoroughly and unpleasantly wet with sweat, rain, or another liquid.
Examples
I had a nightmare and woke up with my pajamas soaked in sweat.
悪い夢を見て、寝汗でパジャマがぐっしょり濡れていた。
The baby wet the bed, leaving the bedding completely soaked.
赤ちゃんがおねしょをして、ベッドがぐっしょり濡れた。
Dogmatic Opinion
GUSSHO-RI is very close to BISSHO-RI, though BISSHO-RI feels to me as if it may involve an even larger amount of water.
I especially associate GUSSHO-RI with clothing and bedding becoming wet.
Japanese readily says ASE BISSHO-RI—“drenched in sweat”—where the focus is on the person and the sweat. With GUSSHO-RI, expressions such as “the pajamas are GUSSHO-RI with sweat” feel more natural than “sweat GUSSHO-RI.” That makes me wonder whether GUSSHO-RI focuses more on the object that has absorbed the sweat, rain, or other moisture.
That distinction is subtle, but it captures my own sense of the word.
Proximate Expression
soaked
soggy
Related Words
For Japanese Learners
Soaking wet, soaked through, drenched, and saturated are natural translations. GUSSHO-RI is particularly useful for absorbent things such as clothes or bedding that have become unpleasantly wet. Its difference from BISSHO-RI is subtle and will often disappear in English.
