Clothing in Japanese – Clothing and Accessories

In this article we are going to talk about clothes and accessories in Japanese. Don't think we're just going to memorize words. Japanese grammar can get a little tricky when it comes to wearing clothes.

clothing size in japan

Before we talk about the Japanese language, let's quickly remind you that Japan has its own clothing size standard. I will not delve into this subject, but I will leave a small table to help.

The conversion table below is usually the standard for Japanese clothing.

T-Shirt Conversion Table

Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>

Size	Bust	Waist	Height	European	USA
s	82 to 90	72 to 80	158 to 165	36	14
M	87 to 95	79 to 87	158 to 165	38	15
L	92 to 100	86 to 94	175 to 185	40	16

The following table is more accurate when it comes to women's clothing, but it also follows a unisex pattern:

Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>

Size in Letter	Japanese number	bust (cm)	Waist (cm)	Hips (cm)
SS/XS	3	75 to 78	58 to 62	81 to 84
s	5	78 to 81	62 to 66	85 to 88
s	7	82 to 85	67 to 69	89 to 92
M	9	86 to 88	70 to 72	92 to 96
L	11	89 to 92	72 to 76	96 to 100
LL/XL	13	92 to 96	77 to 80	100 to 104
LLL/XXL	15	96 to 102	77 to 80	100 to 104
4L/3X	17	103 to 106	89 to 93	109 to 113
5L/4X	19	106 to 109	93 to 97	114 to 118
6L/4X	2	110 to 115	98 to 101	119 to 123

Remembering that we already have an article talking about the japanese breasts and bra sizes.

clothing and accessories vocabulary in japanese

Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>

Portuguese	Japanese	Romaji
clothes	衣服	ifuku
clothing	衣料品	iryouhin
kimono	着物	kimono
swimwear/summer	浴衣	yukata
obi	帯	obi
(wooden) clogs	下駄	geta
glasses	眼鏡	megane
coat	コート	koto
about everything	オーバー	oba
Tuxedo	スーツ	sutsu
walking suit	背広	tallow
raincoat	レインコート	reinkōto
jacket / winter clothes	上着	uwagi
underwear	下着	shitagi
underwear / panties / underwear	パンツ	pantsu
bra	ブラジャー	burajā
Swimsuit	水着	mizugi
jacket	ジャケット	jaketto
pajamas	パジャマ	pajamas
sport jacket	ブレザー	burezā
shirt	ブラウス	burausu
dress	ドレス	painu
one piece dress	ワンピース	wanpi-su
pants	ズボン	zubon
short pants	半ズボン	hanzubon
Bermuda	ショーツ	sho-tsu
pants	スラックス	surakkusu
jeans	ジーンズ	jinzu
get out	スカート	sukato
shirt	シャツ	shatsu
T-shirt	t--シャツ	t-shatsu
White shirt	ワイシャツ	washatsu
sweater	セーター	arrow
cardigan	カーディガン	kādigan
sweat shirt (coach)	トレーナー	torēnā
hat Cap	帽子	boushi
earring	イヤリング	iyaringu
earrings / piercing	ピアス	piasu
necklace	ネックレス	nekkuresu
necktie	ネクタイ	nekutai
tissue	スカーフ	sukafu
ring	指輪	yubiwa
belt	ベルト	beruto
shoes	靴	kutsu
socks	靴下	kutsushite
sneakers	スニーカー	sunika
flip flops	スリッパ	surippa
sandals	サンダル	sandaru
high-heeled shoes	ハイヒール	haihiru
boots	ブーツ	būtsu

Wearing clothes in Japanese – Verb

In Japanese, there is not only the expression “I am dressing a shirt". The Japanese language is more specific when describing actions. So, there are several ways to tell you're wearing something.

Present Progressive / Continuous

There are 3 main ways to say you are wearing something in Japanese. The 3 ways are:

Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>

Romaji	Kana / Kanji	used in clothes
kite	着て	Above the Waist
Haiti	履いて	Below the Waist
Kabutte	かぶって	In the head

The 3 verbs mentioned above are in the Present Progressive which is used for an ongoing action, ongoing action and state of being. It is also used to express the same meaning as the English present perfect or present continuous.

Simple Present / Indicative mood

Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>

Romaji (Informal / Formal)	Kana / Kanji	Use
Kiru / Kimasu	着る / 着ます	Above the Waist
Haku / Hakimasu	履く/ 履きます	Below the Waist
Kaburimasu	かぶります	In the head

The simple present tense is also used to refer to someone who is wearing something, but expresses everyday facts, etc. Like, he “uses” is “using” wearing “his”…

The indicative mood is for common, objective statements of fact. The present tense is used for incomplete habitual actions as well as for future intentions.

Other Verbs for Clothing

In addition to the 3 main ways to dress in Japanese, there are other verbs used for specific situations or accessories. Below is a list of words:

Responsive Table: Scroll the table to the side with your finger >>

Meaning	Japanese	Romaji
wear hat	帽子をかぶる	boushi wo kaburu
Use glasses	めがねをかけ	Megane wo kakeru
wear earrings	イヤリングをつける	Iyaringu wo tsukeru
wear tie	ネクタイを締 める	nekutai wo shimeru
use scarf	スカーフを巻く	Sukaafu wo Maku
wear gloves	手袋をはめる	Tebukuro wo hameru
wear rings	指輪をはめる	Yubiwa wo hameru.
wear watches	時計をする	Tokei wo suru.
wear shirt	シャツを着る	Shatsu wo kiru.
wear pants	ズボンをはく	Zubon wo haku
wear shoes	靴を履く	Kutsu wo haku

• Kaburu – is used to place on the head;
• Kakeru – also means “to hang”;
• Tsukeru – also means, “attach”;
• Shimeru – also means: “to tie”;
• Maku – also means “to wrap around”;
• Hameru – also means: “to insert”;
• Kiru – is used to put on the body;
• Haku – is used to put on the legs;

phrases about clothes in japanese

• 彼は帽子をかぶっています
• Kare wa boshi or kabutte imasu
• He's wearing (putting on) a hat

• 私はシャツを着ています
• Watashi wa shatsu or kite imasu
• I am wearing a shirt

• 彼女はズボンを履いていません
• Kanojo wa zubon o haite imasen
• She is not wearing pants

• 彼女はいつもこざっぱりした服を着ている。
• Kanojo wa itsumo kozappari shita fuku or kite iru;
• She is always well dressed (well groomed.)

• 彼女はグリーンのドレスを着ていた。
• Kanojo wa gurīn no dorsu o kiteita;
• She wore a green dress;

• 今日はスーツを着ています
• Kyō wa sūtsu or kite imasu
• Today I'm wearing a suit

• 私は帽子をかぶります
• Watashi wa boshi or kaburimasu
• i am wearing a hat

• この着物を着ませんか。
• Kono kimono or kimasen ka
• You don't wear this kimono?

• 休日に着る手頃な着物を今選んでいるところです。
• Kyūjitsu ni kiru tegorona kimono o ima erande iru tokorodesu;
• Now, I'm choosing suitable clothes to wear during the holidays;

• 雨が降ったり雪が降ったりすると、私はいつもブーツを履きます。
• Ame ga futtari yuki ga futtari suru to, watashi wa itsumo būtsu o hakimasu;
• I always wear boots when it rains or snows;

• その少年は運動靴を履くと、外へ走って出て行った。
• Sono shōnen wa undō kutsuwohaku to, Soto e hashitte deteitta;
• The boy put on the sneakers. and ran out;