浴衣
Meaning in Englishbathrobe, informal summer kimono
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
浴衣 (yukata) means a casual, unlined robe in the kimono family used in Japan during warm months; it is a lightweight, easy-to-wear garment styled like a kimono but simpler in construction and intended for informal seasonal wear.
How to use it
Worn primarily in warm weather as informal outerwear, guests in traditional inns use it as loungewear after bathing, and the public commonly wears it at summer festivals, fireworks, and casual outings; it is fastened with a simple obi, paired with geta or sandals, and exists in gendered cuts and patterns appropriate to different social situations.
Variants and close terms
- 着物 (kimono), formal traditional robe
- 甚兵衛 (jinbei), two-piece casual summer loungewear
- 浴衣帯 (yukata-obi), obi specifically designed for yukata
Composition
- 浴: character meaning "bathe" or "wash".
- 衣: character meaning "clothing" or "garment".
- The compound combines to denote a garment associated with bathing or light wear, literally 'bathe-clothes'.
Etymology
浴衣 (yukata) reflects a phonetic contraction from an older multisyllabic form (yukatabira), showing regular sound simplification in Late Middle Japanese that produced the modern, shortened pronunciation while retaining the original lexical elements.
Origin
Originally developed as a washable robe for use after bathing in premodern Japan, the garment evolved from simple linen or hemp wraps into a distinct unlined cotton robe by the Edo period; industrial textile production in the Meiji era and the rise of summer festivals and leisure inns consolidated its role as seasonal casual wear.
Word class
noun (名詞)