Clothing and Appearance Vocabulary

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognize and use 20+ core N4 vocabulary words related to clothing and physical appearance. You'll learn how to describe what someone is wearing, how they look, and how to talk about common items of clothing.

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In Japanese, vocabulary for clothing and appearance often combines a noun (the item) with a verb (to wear, to look). You also need to know adjectives to describe colors, styles, and physical features. Today we focus on the nouns and verbs that form the foundation of these descriptions.

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1. Key Clothing Nouns

2. Key Appearance Nouns & Adjectives

3. Key Verbs for Wearing

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Example 1: Describing clothing

• 彼は白いシャツを着ています。彼白着
• Kare wa shiroi shatsu o kiteimasu.
• He is wearing a white shirt.

Example 2: Describing appearance

• 彼女は背が高くて、黒い髪をしています。彼女背高黒髪
• Kanojo wa se ga takakute , kuroi kami o shiteimasu.
• She is tall and has black hair.

Example 3: Using "wear" for shoes

• 今日は新しい靴を履いています。今日新靴履
• Kyou wa atarashii kutsu o haiteimasu.
• I am wearing new shoes today.

Example 4: Describing a person

• あの人は眼鏡をかけています。人眼鏡
• Ano hito wa megane o kaketeimasu.
• That person is wearing glasses.

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Mistake: Using the wrong verb for "to wear."

• ❌ シャツを履く (haku) — wrong verb for shirt履
• ✅ シャツを着る (kiru) — correct verb for shirt着
• ❌ 靴を着る (kiru) — wrong verb for shoes靴着
• ✅ 靴を履く (haku) — correct verb for shoes靴履

Tip: Remember:

• 着る (kiru) = for things that go on your upper body着
• 履く (haku) = for things that go on your lower body or feet履
• かぶる (kaburu) = for things that go on your head
• かける (kakeru) = for things that go on your face (glasses)

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Fill in the blanks with the correct verb (in て-form + います):

1. 彼は青い帽子を __________。 (かぶる)彼青帽子

   • Kare wa aoi boushi o __________.
   • He is wearing a blue hat.
   彼青帽子

2. 私は赤いスカートを __________。 (着る)私赤着

   • Watashi wa akai sukaato o __________.
   • I am wearing a red skirt.
   私赤着

3. あの女の子はピンクの靴を __________。 (履く)女子靴履

   • Ano onnanoko wa pinku no kutsu o __________.
   • That girl is wearing pink shoes.
   女子靴履

Answers:

1. かぶっています (kabutteimasu)
2. 着ています (kiteimasu)着
3. 履いています (haiteimasu)履

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Today you learned:

• Clothing nouns like 服, シャツ, ズボン, 靴服靴
• Appearance words like 髪, 目, 背が高い髪目背高
• Four key verbs for wearing different items: 着る, 履く, かぶる, かける着履

Next step: Practice describing people you see around you in Japanese. Try saying what they are wearing using the correct verb. Then move on to learning colors and patterns (e.g., しま模様 - striped, 花柄 - floral) to make your descriptions even richer.模様花柄