Word
ズボン
Meaning in Englishpants, trousers
Word context
What it means
ズボン is the Japanese term for a lower-body garment that covers the legs from the waist to the ankles, worn on the outside as everyday attire.
Main meanings
- 1. Primary referent: outer-leg garment such as trousers, jeans, or slacks.
- 2. Distinction: in casual speech パンツ can mean underwear, so ズボン is the preferred term for outerwear.
- 3. Scope: applicable to many styles of lower-body wear; ボトムス is a broader category sometimes used for fashion contexts.
How to use it
Used in everyday conversation and fashion contexts to refer to trousers; in formal settings you may encounter ズボン or ボトムス; to discuss underwear, パンツ is more common. Typical phrases include ズボンをはく, ズボンを買う, ズボンのサイズを確認する.
Variants and close terms
- パンツ (pantsu) — pants or underwear depending on context
- ボトムス (boomutsu) — bottoms, a broader category including various lower-body garments
Etymology
Borrowing from a European term for legwear, adapted to Japanese phonology as zubon, illustrating how foreign clothing terms enter contemporary Japanese vocabulary.
Word class
Noun (clothing)