Japanese verb · ru-verb · first needed at elementary level (A2)
着る
kiru
to wear, to put on (upper body)
For clothes on the upper or whole body (, shatsu; , kōto; , kimono); trousers and shoes take (haku), hats (kaburu). To dress someone else is (kiseru).
Present
現在形
Now, habits and the future. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ます is the default.
| plain | 着るkiru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 着ますkimasu | |
| plain negative | 着ないkinai | |
| polite negative | 着ませんkimasen |
Past
過去形
What happened, or what has happened. The plain form is for friends and family; polite ～ました is the default.
| plain | 着たkita | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 着ましたkimashita | |
| plain negative | 着なかったkinakatta | |
| polite negative | 着ませんでしたkimasen deshita |
Te-form
て形
Joins actions and builds requests. (kite imasu) means “is wearing”.
| te-form | 着てkite | |
|---|---|---|
| -te imasu (doing now) | 着ていますkite imasu | |
| -te kudasai (please do) | 着てくださいkite kudasai | |
| -te mo ii desu ka (may I) | 着てもいいですかkite mo ii desu ka |
Volitional
意向形
Let's: the plain form between friends, ～ましょう in polite speech. ～ましょうか suggests (shall we?) or offers help (shall I?).
| plain (let's) | 着ようkiyō | |
|---|---|---|
| polite (let's) | 着ましょうkimashō | |
| polite (shall we?) | 着ましょうかkimashō ka |
Potential
可能形
Can wear: (kono fuku wa mada kirareru), these clothes can still be worn.
| plain | 着られるkirareru | |
|---|---|---|
| polite | 着られますkiraremasu | |
| plain negative | 着られないkirarenai | |
| polite negative | 着られませんkiraremasen |
Conditional
条件形
If: ～ば for general conditions, ～たら for “if” and “when, once”, ～なければ for “if not”.
| -ba | 着ればkireba | |
|---|---|---|
| -tara | 着たらkitara | |
| -nakereba (if not) | 着なければkinakereba |
Examples
- 寒いから、コートを着て行きます。Samui kara, kōto o kite ikimasu.It's cold, so I'll wear a coat.
- 田中さんは青いシャツを着ています。Tanaka-san wa aoi shatsu o kite imasu.Mr Tanaka is wearing a blue shirt.
- この服はまだ着られます。Kono fuku wa mada kiraremasu.These clothes can still be worn.