ピアス
piasu[pʲia̠sɨ̥]
The Japanese word for earrings is ピアス (piasu).
ピアス is used to describe jewelry worn in piercings in the earlobes or other parts of the ear.
What does it mean word for word?
The word ピアス is a loanword from the English word 'pierce'.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between different types of ear jewelry: ピアス specifically refers to earrings worn in pierced ears, while イヤリング refers to clip-on earrings.
How do you pronounce it?
piasu
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the act of getting a piercing is often referred to as ピアスをあける, which literally means 'opening a pierce'.
- In some professional Japanese environments, wearing ピアス may be seen as more rebellious than wearing イヤリング because one requires a permanent hole.
- Using ピアス to describe a piece of jewelry is a 'wasei-eigo' or Japanese-made English word that would not be understood by a native English speaker.
Examples in context
- ピアスの片方をなくしちゃった。I lost one of my earrings.This sentence is useful for expressing that you have lost one of your ピアス.Tatoeba #10225004 by small_snow, translation #5496398 by CK
- ピアスが１つどっか行っちゃった。One of my earrings is missing.This sentence is useful for expressing that one of your ピアス is missing.Tatoeba #10100087 by small_snow, translation #3822396 by CK
- 昨日、きれいなイヤリングを買いました。I bought beautiful earrings yesterday.
- 彼女は揺れるイヤリングを身につけるのが大好きです。She loves wearing dangling earrings.
- 銀のイヤリングは持っていますか？Do you have any silver earrings?
- 新しいピアスを買いました。Atarashii piasu o kaimashita.I bought new earrings.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A man and a woman are at a jewelry store.
- 陽葵 Himariこのピアス、可愛くない？Kono piasu, kawaikunai?Aren't these earrings cute?
- 陽太 Yotaうん、陽葵に似合いそうだよ。Un, Himari ni niaisou da yo.Yeah, I think they would suit you, Himari.
- 陽葵 Himari本当？ちょっと試着してみるね。Hontou? Chotto shichaku shitemiru ne.Really? I'll try them on for a bit.
- 陽太 Yota似合ったら買えばいいんじゃない？Niattara kaeba ii njanai?If they suit you, why not buy them?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ピアス, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
