How do I say… in Japanese? Let’s Talk Shoes!

Shoes are a very important part of every girls life! Also, if you read a lot of shoujo manga set in high school, you’ll know that they’re especially prominent in schools. Many schools have lockers for students to change from their outdoor shoes into their indoor shoes. Did your school have this system?

What’s the Japanese word for shoes?

The Japanese word for shoe is kutsu.

The kanji, it’s meaning, and it’s reading in hiragana

We can spell “kutsu” using kanji like this: 靴

We can read “kutsu” using hiragana like this: くつ.

What are some of the words for other types of shoes in Japanese?

Boots

Bu-tsu・ブーツ

Sandals

Sandaru・サンダル

High heels

Hi-ru・ヒール

Running shoes / Sneakers

Suni-ka-・スニーカー

… Do you notice that all of these words have something in common? They’re all written in katakana! This is because they’re all loan words!

Let’s try using くつ・靴・kutsu in a sentence!

Let’s try translating this sentence into Japanese:

I just bought new shoes. (Like, literally just bought)

First in romaji

Watashi wa atarashii kutsu o katta bakari desu.

Now with hiragana

わたし　は　あたらしい　くつ　を　かった　ばかり　です。

Now let’s add in the kanji!

私　は　新しい　靴　を　買った　ばかり　です。

Note: “Bakari” means “literally just” in this context.

Let’s try translating another sentence:

I want pink shoes.

First in romaji

Watashi wa pinku kutsu ga hoshii na.

Now with hiragana

わたし　は　ピンク　くつ　が　ほしい　な。

Now let’s add in the kanji!

私　は　ピンク　靴　が　欲しい　な。

Note: This sentence is casual! The particle “na” at the end emphasises the feeling of want.

Let’s try translating one more sentence:

If you ask, I’m sure your boyfriend will buy you need shoes.

First in romaji

Kiitemireba, kareshi-san wa atarashii kutsu o katte kureru desho.

Now with hiragana

きいてみれば、かれしさん　は　あたらしい　くつ　を　かって　くれる　でしょう。

Now let’s add in the kanji!

聞いてみれば、彼氏さん　は　新しい　靴　を　買って　くれる　でしょう。

Note: I know this sentence is a little bit more complex! The very first word, “kiitemireba” may look a little complicated, however it’s just a conjugation of the verb “kiku”. It means “if you try asking”.

And that’s kutsu!

Was my post helpful? I hope you learnt something! If you want to support me so that I can continue to share my love of all things shoujo, you can always buy me a coffee!

Maddies Manga