The short version: Japanese picks the verb by where the item goes. 着る is for clothes on the upper body or the whole body, はく is for anything you step into (trousers, skirts, socks, shoes), かぶる is for hats, かける is for glasses, and つける or する is for accessories such as a watch or a mask. To say someone is wearing something, use the ている form: 着ています. To take things off, say 脱ぐ for clothes and shoes and 外す for glasses and accessories.
In English, a person can wear a coat, shoes, a hat, glasses and a watch, all with the same verb. Japanese learners therefore tend to take the first verb they meet, usually 着る, and attach it to everything. The result is understandable but sounds clearly foreign, because to a Japanese ear “putting on” shoes and “putting on” a shirt are two different movements.
The good news is that you do not have to memorise a verb for every item. Japanese looks at two things: which part of the body the item goes on, and what movement you make to put it there. Once you can picture the movement, the verb follows.
The map: one verb for each part of the body
Notice that the line between 着る and はく is not “top half versus bottom half” but shoulders versus stepping in. A dress covers your legs, yet it hangs from your shoulders, so it takes 着る. Trousers cover your legs and you step into them, so they take はく.
着る: clothes that hang from your shoulders
寒いから、セーターを着ます。さむいから、セーターをきます。It's cold, so I'll put on a sweater.
今日は白いシャツを着ています。きょうはしろいシャツをきています。Today I'm wearing a white shirt.
お正月に着物を着ました。おしょうがつにきものをきました。I wore a kimono at New Year.
はく: anything you step into
はく covers everything from the waist down, including the feet, so the same verb serves trousers, socks and shoes. In writing, 履く is the kanji for footwear. A second kanji, 穿く, is sometimes used for trousers and skirts, but it is not on the official list of everyday kanji, so most people simply write はく in hiragana.
ズボンをはいて、くつ下をはきます。ズボンをはいて、くつしたをはきます。I put on my trousers, then my socks.
日本の家では、スリッパをはきます。にほんのいえでは、スリッパをはきます。In Japanese homes, people wear slippers.
雨の日は、長靴をはきます。あめのひは、ながぐつをはきます。On rainy days I wear rain boots.
かぶる and かける: the head and the face
Hats, caps, helmets and hoods take かぶる, because they come down over the head. Glasses and sunglasses take かける, the same verb Japanese uses for hanging a coat on a hook (コートをかける) and for making a phone call (電話をかける). The shared picture is “hang something on”: glasses hang on your ears.
外は暑いので、帽子をかぶってください。そとはあついので、ぼうしをかぶってください。It's hot outside, so please wear a hat.
自転車に乗るときは、ヘルメットをかぶります。じてんしゃにのるときは、ヘルメットをかぶります。I wear a helmet when I ride a bike.
新聞を読むときだけ、めがねをかけます。しんぶんをよむときだけ、めがねをかけます。I put on my glasses only when I read the newspaper.
あのサングラスをかけている人はだれですか。あのサングラスをかけているひとはだれですか。Who is that person wearing sunglasses?
つける and する: accessories
For things you fasten or attach to yourself, everyday Japanese uses two general verbs. する is the most common in conversation and works for almost any accessory: 時計をする, マスクをする, ネクタイをする. つける means “to attach” and is preferred for jewellery, name tags and anything pinned or clipped on: ネックレスをつける, イヤリングをつける. Both are correct for a watch or a mask.
Some accessories also have a precise verb that describes the movement. You will hear these often, but する is never wrong in casual speech:
| Item | Precise verb | The movement | Casual |
|---|---|---|---|
| ネクタイ (tie), ベルト (belt) | 締める | tighten | する |
| 指輪 (ring), 手袋 (gloves) | はめる | fit onto the fingers | する |
| マフラー (scarf) | 巻く | wrap around | する |
| 香水 (perfume) | つける | apply | つける |
電車の中で、マスクをしている人が多いです。でんしゃのなかで、マスクをしているひとがおおいです。Many people on the train wear masks.
仕事のときは、ネクタイを締めます。しごとのときは、ネクタイをしめます。I wear a tie for work.
母は毎日、小さいネックレスをつけています。はははまいにち、ちいさいネックレスをつけています。My mother wears a small necklace every day.
Putting on or wearing: 着ます vs 着ています
All of these verbs describe the action of putting something on. When you want to describe what someone has on right now, Japanese uses the ている form, which here describes a state that continues after the action. This is the same mechanism that makes 結婚しています mean “is married”.
Action: putting on
コートを着ます。
コートをきます。I'll put my coat on.State: wearing
コートを着ています。
コートをきています。I'm wearing a coat.The state form is also how Japanese identifies people. Instead of “the man in the blue jacket”, it says “the man who is wearing a blue jacket”, with the whole description placed before the noun:
青いジャケットを着ている人が田中さんです。あおいジャケットをきているひとがたなかさんです。The person in the blue jacket is Mr Tanaka.
めがねをかけて、帽子をかぶっている女の人を見ましたか。めがねをかけて、ぼうしをかぶっているおんなのひとをみましたか。Did you see a woman with glasses and a hat?
Taking things off: 脱ぐ or 外す
The same body map decides how you take things off, and here Japanese needs only two main verbs.
In casual speech, 取る (to remove) is also common for hats, glasses and masks: 帽子を取る, マスクを取る. The phrase you are most likely to need in Japan uses 脱ぐ, because shoes come off at the entrance of homes, many traditional restaurants and temples:
ここでくつを脱いでください。ここでくつをぬいでください。Please take your shoes off here.
すみません、くつを脱ぎますか。すみません、くつをぬぎますか。Excuse me, should I take my shoes off?
The five mistakes learners make most
くつを着ます。くつをきます。
くつをはきます。くつをはきます。I put on my shoes.
ズボンを着ています。ズボンをきています。
ズボンをはいています。ズボンをはいています。I'm wearing trousers.
帽子を着ます。ぼうしをきます。
帽子をかぶります。ぼうしをかぶります。I put on a hat.
めがねを着ています。めがねをきています。
めがねをかけています。めがねをかけています。I'm wearing glasses.
めがねを脱ぎます。めがねをぬぎます。
めがねを外します。めがねをはずします。I take off my glasses.
Check yourself: which verb?
Tap the verb that fits. Each answer explains the rule.
くつ下を ＿＿。くつしたを ＿＿。I put on socks.
Socks are stepped into, so they take はく, like trousers and shoes.
サングラスを ＿＿ 人サングラスを ＿＿ ひとa person wearing sunglasses
Glasses hang on the ears: かける, in the ている form because they are on now.
きれいなワンピースを ＿＿。きれいなワンピースを ＿＿。She is wearing a pretty dress.
A dress hangs from the shoulders, so it takes 着る even though it covers the legs.
帽子を ＿＿ ください。ぼうしを ＿＿ ください。Please put on your cap.
Anything that comes down over the head takes かぶる.
時計を ＿＿。とけいを ＿＿。I take off my watch.
A watch is fastened on, not worn over you, so it comes off with 外す.
ここでくつを ＿＿ ください。ここでくつを ＿＿ ください。Please take your shoes off here.
Shoes are something you はく, so they come off with 脱ぐ.
Quick reference
- 着る (きる)
- Clothes that hang from the shoulders: シャツ, セーター, コート, ワンピース, 着物. Ichidan: 着ます, 着て.
- はく (履く)
- Anything stepped into: ズボン, スカート, くつ下, くつ, スリッパ. Godan: はきます, はいて.
- かぶる
- Over the head: 帽子, ヘルメット, フード.
- かける
- Glasses and sunglasses: めがねをかける.
- つける / する
- Accessories: 時計, マスク, ネックレス, 指輪, ネクタイ, マフラー, 手袋. Precise verbs: 締める (tie, belt), はめる (ring, gloves), 巻く (scarf).
- Is wearing
- The ている form: 着ています, はいています, かけています.
- Taking off
- 脱ぐ for things that cover you (clothes, shoes, hats). 外す for things fastened or hung on you (glasses, watch, mask, ring). 取る is a casual alternative for hats, glasses and masks.
Related Reading on Kanjijo
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no single word. Use 着る for shirts, sweaters, coats and dresses; はく for trousers, skirts, socks and shoes; かぶる for hats; かける for glasses; and つける or する for accessories such as watches, masks and necklaces.
めがねをかけています. The verb is かける, the same verb as hanging something on a hook, and ている turns it into a state: the glasses are on now.
ズボンをはく. Everything you step into from the waist down takes はく: ズボン, スカート, ジーンズ, くつ下 and くつ. 着る is for items that hang from your shoulders.
Use 脱ぐ for things that cover you (clothes, shoes, hats): くつを脱いでください. Use 外す for things that are fastened or hung on you (glasses, a watch, a mask, a ring): めがねを外します.
着る is an ichidan (ru) verb: 着ます, 着て, 着た. Do not confuse it with 切る (to cut), which looks the same in dictionary form but is a godan verb: 切ります, 切って.
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, 常用漢字表 (Jōyō Kanji Table): lists 履 with the reading は-く and 着 with き-る and つ-ける, which is why 履く and 着ける may be written in kanji while かぶる and はめる are usually written in kana.
- The Japan Foundation & JEES, JLPT Level Summary: what N5 and N4 candidates are expected to understand.
Learn each word with the verb it lives with
Clothing words are easy to recognise and hard to use, because the verb has to come out right in the same breath. Kanjijo gives you the full N5–N1 path of 2,480 kanji, 9,020 words and the complete grammar bank, with exclusive mnemonics for every kanji and every word, an SRS engine with seven growth stages that times each review, home, lock screen and interactive test widgets, JLPT reading and listening practice and full mock tests. Train your ear with conversation lessons, shadowing and dictation, point the OCR scanner at any Japanese text around you, and turn any Japanese video you paste in into a lesson. Free on iPhone.
Download Kanjijo Free