How to Say "Long Hair" in Japanese

長い髪

nagai kami

In Japanese, 'long hair' is translated as 長い髪 (nagai kami).

The phrase refers specifically to hair grown on the head that has reached a significant length.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is composed of the adjective 長い (nagai), meaning 'long' and the noun 髪 (kami), meaning 'hair (on the head)'.

While 長い髪 is used for hair on the head, the word 毛 (ke) refers more broadly to body hair or animal fur.

To use 'long hair' as an adjective to describe a person, such as 'a long-haired girl', add the particle の after 長い髪 to form 長い髪の.

nagai kami

The concept of 長い髪 (long hair) in Japanese folklore is often associated with ghosts, such as the yurei, who are typically depicted with long, disheveled black hair covering their faces.
In Japanese, the word 髪 (kami) used in 長い髪 is a homophone for 'god' or 'spirit', written as 神. While the characters are different, the phonetic sound is identical.
In historical Japan, the length and style of 髪 (kami) were strictly regulated to indicate a person's social rank and marital status.

彼女は長い髪をしています。
She has long hair.
This sentence is useful for saying someone 'has' long hair using the form 長い髪.
Tatoeba #87846 by bunbuku, translation #315861 by CK
長い髪の女の子なら見かけたよ。
I saw a girl with long hair.
This sentence shows how to use the form 長い髪 to describe a girl with long hair.
Tatoeba #9477754 by small_snow, translation #278062 by CK
長い髪をした女の子に会いました。
I met a girl with long hair.
This sentence uses the form 長い髪 to describe meeting a girl with long hair.
Tatoeba #125930 by small_snow, translation #12462169 by CK
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

Kenta and Yui are talking about a new hairstyle.

健太 Kenta

結衣さんの長い髪はとても綺麗ですね。
Yui-san no nagai kami wa totemo kirei desu ne.
Yui, your long hair is very beautiful.
結衣 Yui

ありがとうございます。大切にしています。
Arigatou gozaimasu. Taisetsu ni shite imasu.
Thank you. I take good care of it.
健太 Kenta

手入れが大変そうです。
Teire ga taihen sou desu.
It looks like a lot of work to maintain.
結衣 Yui

少し大変ですが、気に入っています。
Sukoshi taihen desu ga, ki ni itte imasu.
It is a bit of work, but I like it.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏