Translation guide
The English word 'naked' can refer to being without clothes, bare or exposed, or plain and unadorned. This guide covers natural Japanese expressions for each meaning.
Describing a person or body part that is not wearing any clothes.
Describing something that is normally covered but is now without its covering, like a bare surface, wire, or landscape.
Describing something without decoration, addition, or concealment; the simple truth or reality.
While 'naked' can be used metaphorically in English (e.g., 'naked fear'), Japanese often prefers specific words like むき出しの (exposed) or あらわな (open, manifest) rather than 裸の, which is more physical.
彼の顔にはあらわな恐怖が浮かんでいた。
Naked fear showed on his face.
He ran naked.
裸の赤ちゃん
a naked baby
Emphasizes being completely naked, with nothing on at all.
彼は全裸で外に出た。
He went outside completely naked.
Colloquial and emphatic, like 'stark naked' or 'buck naked'.
子供たちが素っ裸で川で遊んでいる。
The kids are playing in the river stark naked.
A more formal or literary term for a naked body, often used in art or descriptions.
その絵は裸体の女性を描いている。
The painting depicts a naked woman.
Means 'exposed' or 'bare', often for things that should be covered (wires, skin, emotions).
むき出しの電線は危険です。
Exposed electrical wires are dangerous.
彼はむき出しの感情を表した。
He showed his naked emotions.
Can be used metaphorically for bare or exposed things, like 'naked flame' or 'naked truth'.
裸の火を使わないでください。
Do not use a naked flame.
Means 'exposed' and is often used for skin or body parts that are not covered by clothing.
彼女は露出した肩を隠した。
She covered her bare shoulders.
Means 'as it is', 'unvarnished', or 'the plain truth'. Often used for facts or reality without embellishment.
ありのままの真実を話してください。
Please tell the naked truth.
Can also be used for raw, unadorned facts or emotions, similar to 'naked' in 'naked aggression'.
それはむき出しの敵意だった。
It was naked hostility.