着る is used for upper-body clothes, 履く for footwear and lower-body clothes, and かぶる for headwear. Say シャツを着る, 靴やズボンを履く, and 帽子をかぶる. Accessories use other verbs: 眼鏡をかける, 指輪をする. To describe what someone has on now, the corresponding ている forms are common.
also written kiru / haku / kaburu / 着る / 履く / 被る / する
着る — on the torso, and clothing generally · 履く — on the feet and legs, pulled on from below · かぶる — on the head, dropped on from above
Sentences
6 sentences, word by word
着る · on the torso
polite
、。
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今日
きょう ［1］
today
noun · read きょう, one of the irregular date readings
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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寒い
さむい ［2］
cold
い-adjective · cold weather, unlike 冷たい for cold to the touch
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から
から
from; since
particle · a starting point, or a reason
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コート
コート
coat
noun · loanword, worn on the torso so it takes 着る
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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着ています
きています
am wearing
ている of 着る · wearing it now, not the act of putting it on
着るN5wear — torso
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It's cold today, so I'm wearing a coat.
履く · trousers belong here
polite
。
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彼
かれ ［1］
he
pronoun · also means boyfriend, decided by context
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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黒い
くろい ［2］
black
い-adjective · describing the trousers
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ズボン
ズボン
trousers
noun · pulled on from below, so 履く and not 着る
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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履いています
はいています
is wearing
ている of 履く · the state of having them on
履くN5wear — feet and legs
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He's wearing black trousers.
かぶる · on the head
polite
。
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ヘルメット
ヘルメット
helmet
noun · loanword, and it comes down over the head
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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かぶって
かぶって
put on
て-form of かぶる · a request once ください follows
かぶるN5wear — head
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ください
ください
please (do)
polite request · from くださる
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Please put on a helmet.
する · accessories
polite
。
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父
ちち ［2］
my father
noun · your own father, spoken to someone outside the family
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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いつも
いつも
always
adverb · habitual, which is why ています follows
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ネクタイ
ネクタイ
tie
noun · an accessory rather than a garment, so する
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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しています
しています
wears
ている of する · the habitual state of wearing one
するN5wear — accessories
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My father always wears a tie.
かける · glasses
polite
。
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眼鏡
めがね ［1］
glasses
noun · read めがね, and hung on the face so かける
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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かけている
かけている
wearing
ている of かける · modifying 人, so the plain form is used
かけるN5wear — glasses
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人
ひと ［0］
person
noun · the head of the clause in front of it
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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先生
せんせい ［3］
teacher
noun · also used as a title after a name
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です
です
(polite ending)
copula · identifying who the person is
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The person wearing glasses is my teacher.
着る · the general sense
plain
？
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明日
あした ［3］
tomorrow
noun · the time, and no particle is needed after it
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何
なに ［1］
what
question word · read なに before を
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を
を
marks the direct object
particle · pronounced お
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着る
きる ［0］
wear
dictionary form of 着る · the general 'be dressed in', covering any outfit
着るN5wear — general
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の
の
(question)
particle · a casual question ending, softer than か
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What are you going to wear tomorrow?
Structure
Which verb for which item
シャツ / コート / 服＋を着る
シャツを着る. Anything that goes on over the upper body, and 服を着る for being dressed in general.
靴 / 靴下 / ズボン＋を履く
靴を履く. Note that trousers and skirts belong here, not with 着る — the test is that you pull them on from below.
帽子 / ヘルメット＋をかぶる
帽子をかぶる. The item comes down over the head, which is what the verb describes.
着て / 履いて＋いる
コートを着ています. The plain verb is the act of putting it on; the ている form is wearing it now, and that is the one you usually want.
Meaning
The rule, and the two that sit outside it
The division is by body part, not by garment type. That is why trousers and skirts take 履く rather than 着る — they arrive from below, the same way shoes do. Sorting by "clothing versus footwear" gets this pair wrong every time.
する covers accessories.ネクタイをする, 手袋をする, 指輪をする. When the item is worn but is not really a garment, する is usually the safe choice.
Glasses take かける.眼鏡をかける — you hang them on your face. する is heard too, and かける is the standard.
ている is what you almost always want.着ます describes the act of putting something on. To say what someone has on right now, it is 着ています — and describing a person is the most common reason to reach for these verbs at all.
Watch out
Where these verbs go wrong
Using 着る for trousers
ズボンを着る is the most common error. The division is by body part: trousers and skirts arrive from below, so they take 履く, exactly like shoes.
Using する for a hat
帽子をする is not how it is said. Anything that comes down over the head takes かぶる.
Using the plain form to describe someone
コートを着ます is the act of putting a coat on. To say someone has one on right now, it is 着ています — and that is nearly always what you mean.
Reaching for one verb and hoping
There is no general-purpose “wear” for a specific item, and 身につける is not one either — it belongs to accessories, valuables and gear, almost always in the ている form. 靴を身につける reads as someone avoiding 履く. Learn each item with its verb.
Also asked
Questions people ask about the wearing verbs
Why do trousers take 履く and not 着る?
Japanese sorts by where the item lands and how it gets there. Trousers are pulled on from below, like socks and shoes, so they share their verb. Sorting by “clothing versus footwear” is what produces the mistake.
Which verb do glasses take?
かける — you hang them on your face. する is also heard, and かける is the standard choice.
Is there one verb that always works?
No. 身につける gets offered as one, and it really belongs to accessories, valuables and protective gear, usually in the ている form — 高価な時計を身につけている. ズボンを身につける sounds like a learner dodging 履く. There are only a handful of verbs; learn each item with its own.
着ます or 着ています?
着ます is putting it on; 着ています is having it on. Describing what someone is wearing is the usual reason to use these verbs, so ています is the form you will need most.
