Japanese 101: "Kimono"

Welcome to the first installation of Japanese 101 with Nagi!

In (my own) celebration of going to Kyoto this past Memorial Day weekend and renting a beautiful kimono, we are going to learn more about the word "kimono".

First of all, Kimono (着物・きもの) is a traditional and formal Japanese garment. In kanji (漢字・かんじ), ki (着) means wear and mono (物) means thing, thus those character together meaning "thing to wear". Initially, the word "kimono" was used to describe "clothing"; however, as westernisation of Japan advanced and less and less Japanese wore what we all now know as kimono, the meaning of the word has been shifted to refer specifically to traditional Japanese clothing. It is often said that the traditional Japanese colour combinations were developed through heightened sensitivity to colour, as Japanese people began to pay closer attention to fashion aspect of kimono: how kimonos of different colour looked together. During its prime time, the colour combinations of kimono severed to reflect the seasonal colours - or even the political class to which one belonged.

While the beautiful garments -very unfortunately- are no longer worn by most Japanese people everyday, they are still reserved for special occasions such as weddings, funerals, tea ceremonies, summer festivals and other special events (such as going to Kyoto!).

Thank you for reading, and let me know if you have any specific Japanese word you'd like to learn more about. Happy learning!