Translation guide
How to express the act of putting on clothes or getting dressed in Japanese, with attention to verb choice based on clothing type and body part.
The general act of getting dressed or putting on clothes.
The most common way to say 'put on clothes' or 'get dressed'. 着る is used for upper-body garments and full-body items like dresses.
It takes time to get dressed every morning.
Means 'to change clothes'. Often used when you change from one outfit to another, like pajamas to day clothes.
Please change out of your pajamas.
Refers to getting ready, including dressing, grooming, etc. Often used as 身支度をする.
Let's get ready and go out.
Describing the action of putting on a particular garment, where verb choice depends on the item.
For upper-body clothes: shirts, jackets, coats, sweaters, dresses, etc.
I put on a coat because it was cold.
For lower-body clothes and footwear: pants, skirts, shoes, socks, etc.
For items you put on your head: hats, caps, helmets. Also used for pulling something over your head, like a T-shirt (though 着る is also fine).
For accessories attached to the body: earrings, necklaces, watches, glasses, etc.
For items you wrap around: scarves, belts, etc.
Expressing the act of dressing another person or being dressed by someone.
Dressing nicely or in formal wear.
Japanese uses different verbs for putting on clothes depending on the body part. 着る (kiru) is for upper body and full-body garments, 履く (haku) is for lower body and footwear, and かぶる (kaburu) is for headwear. Using the wrong verb sounds unnatural.
Put on a shirt, put on pants, put on a hat
English 'put on' can be used for any clothing, but in Japanese you must choose the correct verb. Saying 靴を着る is incorrect; use 靴を履く.
I put on jeans and shoes.
I put on a hat and went outside.
I forgot to put on my watch.
I put on a scarf.