Translation guide
The English phrase 'dress up' can mean wearing formal clothes, wearing a costume, or making something look more attractive. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each situation.
To put on nicer clothes than usual, such as for a party, ceremony, or special occasion.
Means to wear formal attire. Often used for events like weddings or ceremonies.
Please dress up for the wedding.
A common, casual way to say 'dress up nicely' or 'make an effort with your appearance'.
Let's dress up and go out tonight.
A loanword from English, used for dressing up in a stylish or glamorous way, often for parties.
I dressed up for the party.
Literally 'wear proper clothes', implying neat, smart attire rather than casual wear.
Dress up for the interview.
To put on special clothes to look like someone or something else, such as for Halloween or a play.
The standard word for dressing up in a costume, especially for events like Halloween or cosplay.
I like dressing up for Halloween.
Short for 'costume play', used for dressing up as a specific character from anime, games, etc.
He is dressed up as an anime character.
Means to disguise oneself, often to avoid being recognized. Not for festive costumes.
Use 仮装 for fun costumes; 変装 implies deception.
To decorate or embellish something, like a room, food, or a story.
Both mean 'dress up nicely', but おしゃれをする is a native Japanese phrase used in daily conversation, while ドレスアップする is a loanword that often implies a more glamorous, party-ready look.
You're dressed up today.
She dressed up and went to the party.
ドレスアップする is only for formal or stylish dressing. For costumes, use 仮装する or コスプレする.
The spy dressed up and infiltrated the party.
Please dress up the salad nicely.