Translation guide
The English word "bare" has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common ones for learners: uncovered/empty, minimal/just enough, and to reveal/expose. It also notes related concepts like nakedness and plainness.
Describing something that is not covered, has nothing on it, or lacks the usual covering or contents.
He is like the emperor with no clothes. (lit. He is the naked king.)
A bare light bulb illuminated the room.
Means 'exposed' or 'bare', emphasizing that something usually covered is now visible. Often used for wires, skin, or emotions.
Please do not touch the bare wires.
Literally 'there is nothing'. Used to describe a bare room, wall, or surface that is empty or lacks decoration.
The room was bare. (There was nothing in the room.)
Describes a large, empty, and often echoey space. Conveys a sense of bareness and emptiness.
I stood alone in the bare room.
Describing the minimum necessary, without anything added or extra.
Means 'minimum' or 'bare minimum'. Used for necessities, requirements, or efforts.
I only have the bare minimum living expenses.
He only made the bare minimum effort.
Emphasizes 'the minimum necessary'. Slightly more formal than 最低限の.
Means 'barely enough', 'just barely'. Often used for passing scores, deadlines, or quantities.
It was a bare pass. (I barely passed.)
Means 'simple' or 'plain', often implying bareness in a positive, uncluttered sense.
He leads a bare, simple life.
The action of making something visible that was hidden or covered.
To lay bare, expose, or reveal (often emotions, secrets, or one's soul).
He bared his soul.
To expose, reveal, or lay bare. Can be used for physical things or abstract things like feelings.
He bared his anger.
To expose or bare something that is normally covered, like teeth or wires.
The dog bared its teeth.
裸 (はだか) is the most common word for 'naked' and can be used metaphorically (e.g., 裸の王様). 裸体 (らたい) is more formal and specifically refers to a naked body, often in art or medical contexts. ヌード is a loanword from English 'nude' and is used for artistic or photographic nudity.
English 'bare' is often used in phrases like 'bare walls' or 'bare feet'. In Japanese, you usually need to describe the state (e.g., 何もない壁 'walls with nothing on them') rather than using a direct adjective equivalent. 裸足 (はだし) is a specific word for 'bare feet'.
Please convey only the bare essentials of information.