JLPT N5 Japanese Clothing Vocabulary
Clothes, shoes and hats at JLPT N5, and the four different Japanese verbs for wearing them.
Why this list
English uses one verb, wear, for everything. Japanese chooses the verb by where the item goes on your body, so learning the verb with each word matters as much as the word itself.
Many clothing words are loanwords in katakana (シャツ, コート, スカート). The older native words, such as 服 and 靴, use kanji.
Four verbs for wearing
着る (きる) for clothes on the upper body or the whole body, はく for anything you step into, かぶる for things on your head, and かける for glasses.
シャツを着ます。
シャツを きます。
Shatsu o kimasu.
I put on a shirt.
Say it: きます: ki-ma-su. Use 着る for shirts, sweaters, coats and dresses.
靴をはきます。
くつを はきます。
Kutsu o hakimasu.
I put on my shoes.
Say it: はく is for shoes, socks, trousers and skirts: anything your legs go into.
帽子をかぶります。
ぼうしを かぶります。
Bōshi o kaburimasu.
I put on a hat.
Say it: ぼうし has a long お: bo-o-shi.
眼鏡をかけます。
めがねを かけます。
Megane o kakemasu.
I put on my glasses.
Say it: かける means to hang: glasses hang on your ears.
Drill these on the free flashcard tool, then continue the word list.
The 14 words
| Kanji | Kana | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 服 | ふく | fuku | clothes |
| シャツ | シャツ | shatsu | shirt |
| ズボン | ズボン | zubon | trousers, pants |
| スカート | スカート | sukāto | skirt |
| セーター | セーター | sētā | sweater |
| コート | コート | kōto | coat |
| 靴 | くつ | kutsu | shoes |
| 靴下 | くつした | kutsushita | socks |
| 帽子 | ぼうし | bōshi | hat, cap |
| 眼鏡 | めがね | megane | glasses |
| ネクタイ | ネクタイ | nekutai | necktie |
| 鞄 | かばん | kaban | bag |
| 時計 | とけい | tokei | watch, clock |
| ハンカチ | ハンカチ | hankachi | handkerchief |
Common questions
How do I say I'm wearing something?+
Use the wearing verb in the ている form: シャツをきています (I'm wearing a shirt), くつをはいています (I'm wearing shoes).
How do I say take off?+
ぬぐ for clothes and shoes: くつをぬぎます (I take off my shoes). For glasses, use はずす: めがねをはずします.
What verb goes with a tie or a watch?+
する: ネクタイをします, とけいをします. しめる is also used for a tie.
Why is 時計 on a clothing list?+
Inku groups it with things you wear. 時計 means both a watch and a clock.
Related
These 14 words are part of this site's themed N5 editorial selection. Inku's mobile app expands that into a 551-card N5 bundle with bundled pronunciation audio and FSRS spaced review. Download Inku.
