What does 着 mean in Japanese?
着 is one of the most surprising kanji for beginners: a single character with two completely unrelated meanings — to arrive (着く) and to wear upper-body clothing (着る). The two readings even start with different sounds: つ (tsuku, arrive) vs き (kiru, wear). Context makes the meaning clear, but the gap between them surprises almost every learner.
On transit timetables, 着 marks arrival times, always paired with 発 (departure). In clothing vocabulary, 着る is the verb for putting on garments worn over the upper body, and 着物 (kimono) is literally ‘a thing you wear.’
Reading
On’yomi: チャク (chaku), ジャク (jaku)
Kun’yomi: き-る (ki-ru), き-せる (ki-seru), つ-く (tsu-ku), つ-ける (tsu-keru)
Basic Information
| Kanji | 着 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | arrive, wear |
| Stroke Count | 12 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
How to Understand This Kanji
着く = reaching a place. 着る = putting a garment on the upper body. The transitive of 着く is 着ける (tsukeru, to bring or attach to a place); the transitive of 着る is 着せる (kiseru, to dress someone else). For clothing, 着る is specifically upper body — shirt, jacket, coat. For lower body use 履く (haku); for head use 被る (kaburu). Mixing these up is a classic N4 error.
Common Words
- 着く（つく / tsuku） — to arrive, to reach
- 着る（きる / kiru） — to wear (upper-body clothing)
- 到着（とうちゃく / touchaku） — arrival
- 着物（きもの / kimono） — kimono; traditional Japanese clothing
- 着替え（きがえ / kigae） — change of clothes; the act of changing
- 着信（ちゃくしん / chakushin） — incoming call or message
Example Sentences
-
もうすぐ駅に着きます。
もうすぐえきにつきます。 / Mou sugu eki ni tsukimasu.
I will arrive at the station soon.
-
今日は寒いので、コートを着てください。
きょうはさむいので、コートをきてください。 / Kyou wa samui node, kooto o kite kudasai.
It is cold today, so please wear a coat.
-
着替えてから出かけましょう。
きがえてからでかけましょう。 / Kigaete kara dekakemashou.
Let’s get changed before going out.
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
Clothing verbs in Japanese are split by body zone, and 着る covers only upper-body garments. The full set learners need:
着る (kiru): shirt, jacket, coat, dress — anything worn over the upper body
履く (haku): pants, skirt, shoes, socks — anything worn on the legs or feet
被る (kaburu): hat, hood — anything placed over the head
Mixing these produces unnatural sentences: ×ズボンを着る (wrong) → ○ズボンを履く.
On train timetables and transit apps: 発 = departure time, 着 = arrival time. 東京発→大阪着 means departs Tokyo, arrives Osaka. This pairing of 発 and 着 appears on every long-distance schedule.
着信 (chakushin, incoming call or message) uses 着 in the sense of ‘a signal arriving at you.’ 発信 (hasshin, outgoing) is the opposite — the same 発/着 pair appearing again in a different context.
Summary
着 means to arrive (着く) and to wear upper-body garments (着る) — two distinct readings covering transit timetables (到着) and clothing (着物, 着替え).