Some Japanese verbs are more specific when describing actions than English verbs. While there is only one verb used for a certain action in English, there might be several different verbs in Japanese. One of the examples is the verb "to wear." In English, it can used as, "I wear a hat," "I wear gloves," "I wear glasses" and so on. However, Japanese has different verbs depending on which part of the body it will be worn on. Let's take a look how the Japanese describe "to wear."
Boushi o kaburu. 帽子をかぶる｡ ("Kaburu" is used for
putting on the head.)
I wear a hat.
Megane o kakeru. めがねをかける｡ ("Kakeru" also means, "to hang.")
I wear glasses.
Iyaringu o tsukeru. イヤリングをつける｡ ("Tsukeru" also means,
"to attach.")
I wear earrings.
Nekutai o shimeru. ネクタイを締める｡ ("Shimeru" also means, "to tie.")
I wear a tie.
Sukaafu o maku. スカーフを巻く｡ (Maku" also means,
"to wrap around.")
I wear scarf.
Tebukuro o hameru. 手袋をはめる｡ ("Hameru" also means,
"to insert.")
I wear gloves.
Yubiwa o hameru. 指輪をはめる｡
I wear rings.
Tokei o suru. 時計をする｡
I wear a watch.
Shatsu o kiru. シャツを着る｡ ("Kiru" is used for
putting on the body.)
I wear shirts.
Zubon o haku. ズボンをはく｡ ("Haku" is used for
putting on the legs.)
I wear pants.
Kutsu o haku. 靴を履く｡ ("Haku" is also used for
putting on footwear.)
I wear shoes.
Another example is the verb "to play."
Omocha de asobu. おもちゃで遊ぶ｡ ("Asobu" originally means,
"to amuse oneself.")
I play with toys.
Piano o hiku. ピアノを弾く｡ ("Hiku" is used to play the musical instrument that requires
the manipulation of fingers .)
I play the piano.
Fue o fuku. 笛を吹く｡ ("Fuku" is used to play the musical instrument that requires blowing.)
I play the flute.
Taiko o tataku. 太鼓をたたく｡ ("Tataku" is used to play the musical instrument that requires beating.)
I play the drum.
Rekoodo o kakeru. レコードをかける｡
I am playing a record.
Toranpu o suru. トランプをする｡
I play cards.
Yakyuu o suru. 野球をする｡ ("Suru" can be used for
most sports.)
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