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.
Naked fear showed on his face.
He ran naked.
a naked baby
Emphasizes being completely naked, with nothing on at all.
He went outside completely naked.
Colloquial and emphatic, like 'stark naked' or 'buck naked'.
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.
The painting depicts a naked woman.
Means 'exposed' or 'bare', often for things that should be covered (wires, skin, emotions).
Exposed electrical wires are dangerous.
He showed his naked emotions.
Can be used metaphorically for bare or exposed things, like 'naked flame' or 'naked truth'.
Do not use a naked flame.
Means 'exposed' and is often used for skin or body parts that are not covered by clothing.
She covered her bare shoulders.
Means 'as it is', 'unvarnished', or 'the plain truth'. Often used for facts or reality without embellishment.
Please tell the naked truth.
Can also be used for raw, unadorned facts or emotions, similar to 'naked' in 'naked aggression'.
It was naked hostility.