Clothes in Japanese – Clothing and Accessories

In this article, we will talk about clothing and accessories in Japanese. Don’t think that we will just memorize words. Japanese grammar can complicate things a bit when it comes to wearing clothes.

Clothing Sizes in Japan

Before we talk about the Japanese language, let’s quickly remember that Japan has its own clothing size standard. I won’t delve into this topic, but I will leave a small table to help.

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

T-Shirt Conversion Table

Size	Chest	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 standard:

Letter Size	Japanese Number	Chest (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

Remember that we already have an article talking about the breasts of Japanese women and bra sizes.

Clothing and Accessories Vocabulary in Japanese

• 衣服 (ifuku) – Clothes
• 衣料品 (iryouhin) – Apparel
• 着物 (kimono) – Kimono
• 浴衣 (yukata) – Bath/summer clothes
• 帯 (obi) – Obi
• 下駄 (geta) – Wooden sandals
• 眼鏡 (megane) – Glasses
• コート (koto) – Coat
• オーバー (ōbā) – Overcoat
• スーツ (sūtsu) – Suit
• 背広 (sebiro) – Dress suit
• レインコート (reinkōto) – Raincoat
• 上着 (uwagi) – Jacket / Winter clothes
• 下着 (shitagi) – Underwear
• パンツ (pantsu) – Underwear / Panties / Briefs
• ブラジャー (burajā) – Bra
• 水着 (mizugi) – Swimwear
• ジャケット (jaketto) – Jacket
• パジャマ (pajama) – Pajamas
• ブレザー (burezā) – Blazer
• ブラウス (burausu) – Blouse
• ドレス (doresu) – Dress
• ワンピース (wanpi-su) – One-piece dress
• ズボン (zubon) – Pants
• 半ズボン (hanzubon) – Shorts
• ショーツ (sho-tsu) – Bermudas
• スラックス (surakkusu) – Pants
• ジーンズ (jīnzu) – Jeans
• スカート (sukāto) – Skirt
• シャツ (shatsu) – Shirt
• t-シャツ (t-shatsu) – T-shirt
• ワイシャツ (waishatsu) – Dress shirt
• セーター (sētā) – Sweater
• カーディガン (kādigan) – Cardigan
• トレーナー (torēnā) – Sweatshirt (trainer)
• 帽子 (boushi) – Hat / Cap
• イヤリング (iyaringu) – Earrings
• ピアス (piasu) – Ear studs / Piercing
• ネックレス (nekkuresu) – Necklace
• ネクタイ (nekutai) – Tie
• スカーフ (sukāfu) – Scarf
• 指輪 (yubiwa) – Ring
• ベルト (beruto) – Belt
• 靴 (kutsu) – Shoes
• 靴下 (kutsushita) – Socks
• スニーカー (sunīkā) – Sneakers
• スリッパ (surippa) – Slippers
• サンダル (sandaru) – Sandals
• ハイヒール (haihīru) – High heels
• ブーツ (būtsu) – Boots

Wearing Clothes in Japanese – Verb

In Japanese, there is not just the expression “I am wearing a shirt.” The Japanese language is more specific when describing actions. Thus, there are several ways to say that you are wearing something.

Present Progressive / Continuous

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

Romaji	Kana / Kanji	Used for clothing
Kite	着て	Above the waist
Haite	履いて	Below the waist
Kabutte	かぶって	On the head

The 3 verbs mentioned above are in the Present Progressive, which is used for an ongoing action, continuous 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

Romaji (Informal / Formal)	Kana / Kanji	Usage
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	On the head

The simple present is also used to refer to someone who is wearing something, but it expresses routine facts, day-to-day, etc. Like, he “wears” this “is wearing” “his”…

The indicative mood is for common statements, objectives, facts. The present tense is used for incomplete habitual actions, as well as for future intentions.

Other Verbs for Wearing Clothes

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

• 帽子をかぶる (boushi wo kaburu) – Wear a hat
• めがねをかける (megane wo kakeru) – Wear glasses
• イヤリングをつける (iyaringu wo tsukeru) – Wear earrings
• ネクタイを締める (nekutai wo shimeru) – Wear a tie
• スカーフを巻く (sukaafu wo maku) – Wear a scarf
• 手袋をはめる (tebukuro wo hameru) – Wear gloves
• 指輪をはめる (yubiwa wo hameru) – Wear rings
• 時計をする (tokei wo suru) – Wear a watch
• シャツを着る (shatsu wo kiru) – Wear a shirt
• ズボンをはく (zubon wo haku) – Wear pants
• 靴を履く (kutsu wo haku) – Wear shoes

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

Phrases about Clothes in Japanese

彼は帽子をかぶっています
Kare wa bōshi o kabutte imasu

He is wearing (putting on) a hat

私はシャツを着ています
Watashi wa shatsu o 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 o kite iru;

She is always well-dressed (neat).

彼女はグリーンのドレスを着ていた。
Kanojo wa gurīn no doresu o kiteita;

She was wearing a green dress;

今日はスーツを着ています
Kyō wa sūtsu o kite imasu

Today I am wearing a suit

私は帽子をかぶります
Watashi wa bōshi o kaburimasu

I am wearing a hat

この着物を着ませんか。
Kono kimono o kimasen ka

Don’t you 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 am 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 kutsu o haku to, soto e hashitte deteitta;

The boy put on his sneakers and ran outside;