Languages › Japanese Specificity of Japanese Verbs 'to Wear' and 'to Play' Print Image Source / Getty Images Japanese Japanese Grammar History & Culture Essential Japanese Vocabulary By Namiko Abe Namiko Abe Japanese Language Expert B.A., Kwansei Gakuin University Namiko Abe is a Japanese language teacher and translator, as well as a Japanese calligraphy expert. She has been a freelance writer for nearly 20 years. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on February 09, 2019 Read More Verbs of Change: Naru By Namiko Abe 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 be 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 at how the Japanese describe "to wear" and "to play." Boushi o kaburu. 帽子をかぶる。 --- I wear a hat. ("Kaburu" is used for putting on the head.)Megane o kakeru. めがねをかける。 --- I wear glasses. ("Kakeru" also means, "to hang.")Iyaringu o tsukeru. イヤリングをつける。 --- I wear earrings. ("Tsukeru" also means, "to attach.")Nekutai o shimeru. ネクタイを締める。 --- I wear a tie. ("Shimeru" also means, "to tie.")Sukaafu o maku. スカーフを巻く。 --- I wear a scarf. ("Maku" also means, "to wrap around.")Tebukuro o hameru. 手袋をはめる。 --- I wear gloves. ("Hameru" also means, "to insert.")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。 --- I wear shirts. ("Kiru" is used for putting on the body.)Zubon o haku. ズボンをはく。 --- I wear pants. ("Haku" is used for putting on the legs.)Kutsu o haku. 靴を履く。 --- I wear shoes. ("Haku" is also used for putting on footwear.)Omocha de asobu. おもちゃで遊ぶ。 --- I play with toys. ("Asobu" originally means, "to amuse oneself.")Piano o hiku. ピアノを弾く。 --- I play the piano. ("Hiku" is used to play the musical instrument that requires the manipulation of fingers.)Fue o fuku. 笛を吹く。 --- I play the flute. ("Fuku" is used to play the musical instrument that requires blowing.)Taiko o tataku. 太鼓をたたく。 --- I play the drum. ("Tataku" is used to play the musical instrument that requires beating.)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。 --- I play baseball. ("Suru" can be used for most sports.)Romio o enjiru. ロミオを演じる。 --- I play the role of Romeo. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Abe, Namiko. "Specificity of Japanese Verbs 'to Wear' and 'to Play'." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/specificity-of-japanese-verbs-2027857. Abe, Namiko. (2020, August 27). Specificity of Japanese Verbs 'to Wear' and 'to Play'. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/specificity-of-japanese-verbs-2027857 Abe, Namiko. "Specificity of Japanese Verbs 'to Wear' and 'to Play'." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/specificity-of-japanese-verbs-2027857 (accessed April 24, 2024). copy citation