Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
装う (よそおう, yosoou) Japanese meaning: dress up | Kotomora
Common word› JLPT N1 › Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Conjugation 装う · godan verb (-u)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 装よそお う 装よそお わない Polite 装よそお います 装よそお いません Past polite 装よそお いました 装よそお いませんでした Past 装よそお った 装よそお わなかった Te-form 装よそお って 装よそお わないで Desire 装よそお いたい 装よそお いたくない Potential 装よそお える 装よそお えない Passive 装よそお われる 装よそお われない Causative 装よそお わせる 装よそお わせない Causative passive 装よそお わせられる also 装よそお わされる 装よそお わせられない also 装よそお わされない Volitional 装よそお おう Polite volitional 装よそお いましょう Imperative 装よそお え 装よそお うな Conditional 装よそお えば 装よそお わなければ Tara conditional 装よそお ったら 装よそお わなかったら
Report an issue with this page
て
現あらわ
れ
た
。
She appeared at the party beautifully dressed up.
To dress oneself in one's best clothes.
Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 で 身み を 装よそお う to adorn oneself with something
She adorned herself in a beautiful dress.
〈 事こと 〉 を 装よそお う to feign or pretend something
He feigned illness and took the day off work.
〈 人ひと 〉 を 装よそお う to disguise oneself as someone
The criminal disguised himself as a police officer to get into the house.
Kanji 粧 cosmetics, adorn (one's person) Related words· 10 着飾る means to dress up in fancy, showy clothes, while 装う has a broader sense that can include subtle adornment or simply putting on an appearance.
見せかける stresses making something look a certain way to deceive, while 装う focuses on the person putting on a false demeanor or role.
装飾する is used for decorating objects or spaces, while 装う is used for dressing or adorning oneself (or one's appearance).
装う is a general verb for feigning any state or emotion, while 猫をかぶる specifically means acting meek and innocent to hide one's true personality.
Show 6 more 装う is a more formal verb for disguising or feigning a state (e.g. 病気を装う), while ぶる is a colloquial suffix attached directly to a noun or adjective stem to mean 'act like X'.
装う means to feign or put on an appearance, close to 演じる's sense of pretending to be something in daily life.
装う means to disguise oneself or feign an appearance, while 仕立てる in this sense means to make something or someone else appear a certain way, often falsely.
Don't confuse with 偽る means to lie or falsify facts, whereas 装う means to put on a false outward appearance without necessarily stating a falsehood.
装備する shares the kanji 装 with 装う but means to equip or outfit with gear, not to dress up or feign an appearance.
装う means to pretend or feign an appearance (e.g. 平静を装う, to feign calm), while 飾る in its figurative sense means to embellish or dress up words or behavior rather than fake an emotion.
Written forms 装よそお う Usage 89%
Standard kanji spelling for both dressing up and pretending.
よそおう Usage 11%
粧よそお う
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; Learners should use 装う.
Etymology Compound of 装 (よそお, 'appearance, attire') + verbal suffix う. The kanji 装 carries meanings of 'attire' and 'pretend', which align with the two main senses.
N1
装う is a neutral verb meaning to pretend or feign (e.g. 平静を装う), while 気取る carries a critical nuance of acting pretentious or putting on airs.
装う means to put on an outward appearance or pretend a state, while 偽る more strongly implies actively falsifying facts or identity.
装う means to feign or disguise oneself as something, emphasizing outward pretense, while 称する in its 'claim' sense refers to verbally asserting a status that may or may not be true.
