裾
Meanings
hem; trouser cuff; shirttail; train of a dress
The lower hanging part or edge of clothing, including kimono bottoms, skirts, trousers, shirts, and dresses.
The hem of my skirt got muddy.
The trouser hems were too long, so I had them shortened a little.
bottom part; bottom edge; lower edge
An extension of the clothing sense: the lower edge or bottom part of something hanging, spreading, or fabric-like.
The bottom edge of the curtain is touching the floor a little.
foot of a mountain; base of a mountain
Used for the lower spreading part of a mountain; 麓 is a more direct common word for the mountain foot.
A small village spreads out at the foot of the mountain.
tips of hair; lower ends of hair
Used especially for the lower edge or ends of longer hair; 毛先 is the more general everyday word for hair tips.
At the hair salon, I had the ends of my hair tidied up a little.
Archaic use referring to the downstream direction or lower course of a river; not a normal modern everyday meaning.
In older usage, 裾 can mean “downstream.”
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉の裾を引くto let the hem of a garment trail on the ground
The bride walked, trailing the hem of her wedding dress.
- 〈場所〉の裾に広がるto spread out at the foot of (a mountain)
I visited a town spreading out at the foot of Mt. Fuji.
- 髪の裾を切るto trim the ends of one's hair
I had the ends of my hair trimmed at the salon.
- 裾を上げるto hem up (shorten) the bottom of a garment
I had the hem of my trousers taken up.
- 裾が広がるfor a hem or skirt to flare out at the bottom
This skirt is designed with a flared hem.