ワイシャツ

ワ

イ

シャ

ツ

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun

dress shirt; button-up shirt; business shirt

usually written using kana alone

Refers to a formal, collared, button-front shirt typically worn with a suit or tie. Derived from English 'white shirt' but used for shirts of any color.

from English white shirt

明日あしたの面めん接せつのため

に

新あたら

しい

ワイシャツ

を

買か

っ

た

。

I bought a new dress shirt for tomorrow's interview.

彼かれはいつも白しろいワイシャツを着きている。

He always wears a white button-up shirt.

Usage patterns

ワイシャツを着きるto wear a dress shirt
面めん接せつには白しろいワイシャツを着きて行いった。
I wore a white dress shirt to the interview.
ワイシャツのボタンを外はずすto undo the buttons of a dress shirt
帰き宅たくするとすぐにワイシャツのボタンを外はずした。
As soon as I got home, I undid the buttons of my dress shirt.
ワイシャツにネクタイを合あわせるto match a tie with a dress shirt
青あおいワイシャツに赤あかいネクタイを合あわせた。
I matched a red tie with my blue dress shirt.

Related words

シャツN5
シャツ is the general word for any shirt, casual or formal, while ワイシャツ refers specifically to a formal, collared, button-up dress shirt.
カッターシャツ
カッターシャツ is a regional (esp. Kansai) term for the same kind of formal button-up shirt that ワイシャツ describes elsewhere in Japan.

Don't confuse with

Ｔシャツ
Ｔシャツ is a casual, collarless pullover shirt, while ワイシャツ is a formal, collared, button-front shirt worn with a suit.

Counted with

着ちゃくN2
For garments counted as outfits — suits, coats, dresses; thin tops are more often 枚.
枚まいN3
The everyday counter for shirts as flat clothing items; 着 is also common when focusing on garments as worn items.

Written forms

ワイシャツUsage100%
Usually written in katakana; this is the most common spelling.
Ｙシャツ
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)
Ateji spelling using the letter Y; recognized but less common than the katakana form.

Etymology

From English 'white shirt', borrowed as ワイシャツ. The spelling Ｙシャツ is ateji, using the letter Y for the 'wai' sound.