服

• Reading: ふく
• Romaji: fuku
• Kanji breakdown: 服 (fuku/buku) — clothes, to wear; to submit
• Pronunciation: /ɸɯ.kɯ/

Meaning

Clothes; clothing; dress; outfit. A general term for garments, especially Western-style clothing.

The most common general word for clothing in modern Japanese. Often used in compounds: 洋服 (Western clothes), 和服 (Japanese clothes), 制服 (uniform). Can also function as a counter suffix for doses of medicine (一服). In daily conversation, 服 alone typically refers to casual everyday clothing.

Examples

1. 新しい服を買いました。 I bought new clothes.
2. 明日何の服を着ますか。 What are you going to wear tomorrow?
3. この服はちょっと大きいです。 These clothes are a little too big.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, shopping, fashion

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 服 originally depicted a person kneeling in submission, related to the concept of 'submitting to' or 'wearing.' The clothing meaning evolved from the idea of putting something on the body.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal