The Meaning of sebiro [背広] In Japanese

背広
せびろ
Romaji: sebiro N2

What does 背広 mean?

Translation and Meaning

suit, men’s suit, Western-style suit

Definition

背広 (sebiro) means a men’s Western-style suit, typically a matching jacket and trousers worn for business or formal occasions; it refers to the tailored two- or three-piece outfit commonly used as professional attire in Japan and conveys a neat, conservative dress standard.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • 1. Refers specifically to a men’s tailored suit as an outfit distinct from casual Western clothes.
  • 2. Can be used to mean the suit jacket alone in some contexts, especially when emphasizing appearance.
  • 3. Used contrastively with traditional Japanese dress to indicate Western/formal clothing styles.

Origin

The concept and term became common during the Meiji era (late 19th to early 20th century) as Western clothing was adopted in Japan; Western tailors and imported garments popularized the suit as modern business wear, and the word entered Japanese usage to name that new, foreign-style attire.

Composition

  • 背 — means “back,” referring to the body’s rear or the act of carrying; used here as the first character of the compound.
  • 広 — means “wide” or “broad,” suggesting breadth or spaciousness.
  • The two characters are combined as an ateji spelling: they represent the pronunciation sebiro rather than a literal semantic compound, and together serve to label the Western-style suit in Japanese.

Usage

Used in formal and neutral contexts to describe what someone is wearing (business, ceremonies, interviews, funerals, weddings) and in media or conversation about dress codes; the term can sound slightly old-fashioned compared with スーツ (suutsu), so younger speakers or casual contexts often prefer the katakana form while professional or written Japanese still accept 背広 (sebiro) comfortably.
💡 Tips
Remember that a suit covers your back (背) and gives you broad shoulders (広)—”back + wide” helps recall 背広 (sebiro) = suit.

Variations

  • スーツ (suutsu) — suit; modern, common katakana synonym.
  • 礼服 (reifuku) — formal/ceremonial attire, more formal than an everyday business suit.
  • 着物 (kimono) — traditional Japanese clothing, often presented as an alternative to Western suits.
背広