- NDL
Let's put some clothes on, shall we
Hey there fellow netizens!
So, as promised, today we will learn how to wear stuff in Japanese. Get your girly spirits up for this lesson cause we're playing dress-up!
But first things first! I mean, we all start off like Adam and Eve, right?
Naked, in Japanese, is 裸（はだか）.
It also means almost naked, or barely dressed, like when you're only wearing panties/boxers or a very see-through... something.
A very nagging parent (which unfortunately you'll find all over the world) would say the following to their rebellious teenage girl that wants to go out with her friends:
そんな格好して出かけるの？ほとんど裸じゃない！
そんな かっこう して でかける の？ ほとんど はだか じゃない！
Are you going out looking like this? You're basically naked!
Note: 格好（かっこう） has the general meaning of 'appearance', and it can be used to refer to the way that someone dresses, but also to the general 'vibe' a person gives off, hence the expression:
格好いい
かっこいい
Cool
By itself, technically 格好 is かっこう, but when it combines with いい, we drop the う, giving us: かっこいい.
But for naked baby butts and children in general (also for adults in a playful context) there is another word: すっぽんぽん, stark naked.
But let's put some clothes on, shall we?
1. 着る/きる/To wear, to put on
Refers to tops and full-body stuff: Jackets, shirts, dresses, suits, etc...
ドレスを着る。
どれす を きる。
To wear a dress.
スーツを着る。
すーつ を きる。
To wear a suit.
上着を着る。
うわぎ を きる。
To wear a coat.
上着 can refer to any type of outerwear.
2. 履く/はく/to wear, to put on.
Refers to anything that goes under the belt: pants, shoes, socks.
ズボンを履く。
ずぼん を はく。
To put on/wear pants.
靴を履く。
くつ を はく。
To put on/wear shoes.
靴下を履く。
くつした を はく。
To put on/wear socks.
Notice that the word for 'sock' in Japanese is comprised of '靴/くつ/shoe' and '下/した/under' so now it's easier to remember, because it's the 'thing under the shoe'.
3. 掛ける/かける/To put on, wear (glasses)
Refers only to, well, glasses.
眼鏡を掛ける。
めがね を かける。
To put on/wear glasses.
4. 被る/かぶる/To put on, to wear
This refers only to things you put on your head: mainly hats... (but sometimes cats as well)
帽子を被る。
ぼうし を かぶる。
To wear/put on a hat.
...And that thing about cats: in Japan they have this funny expression:
猫を被る。
ねこ を かぶる。
To feign friendliness.
For more cat expressions, check out this lesson by Cassy.
