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How to say "hem" in Japanese

Choosing the right word
  • 裾すそJLPT N1approx.Common
    nounThe hem as the bottom part of a garment: trouser cuffs, shirttails, and the bottom of a kimono. It names the lower portion of the clothing itself rather than a sewn edge.
    カレンの裾すそが捲まくれている。↗
    Karen's skirt is riding up.
  • ヘムCommon
    nounThe sewing term for a hem: the folded, stitched edge that finishes the bottom of a garment. Typical of sewing and dressmaking contexts, where the focus is on how a hem is finished.

Use 裾 for the hem as the bottom part of a garment, and 「ヘム」 for the hem as a sewn, finished edge discussed in sewing or dressmaking contexts.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents
See also
cufffringetrain

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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