洗う (あらう) means 'to wash.' This verb is used for washing clothes, dishes, hands, or even a car. For example, '手を洗います' (Te o araimasu) means 'I wash my hands.' It's a transitive verb requiring an object.

洗(あら)うは「洗(あら)う」という意(い)味(み)です。手(て)や服(ふく)、皿(さら)などを洗(あら)うときに使(つか)います。「手(て)を洗(あら)います」