メガネをかける
megane o kakeru
To wear glasses in Japanese is メガネをかける (megane o kakeru).
The phrase is used to describe the act of putting on eyeglasses or the state of having them on one's face for vision correction or protection.
What does it mean word for word?
The verb part, かける (kakeru), literally means 'to hang' or 'to suspend'. This refers to the way glasses rest on the bridge of the nose and the ears.
Which one should you use?
Use メガネをかける to describe the action of putting on glasses or the general state of wearing them.
How do you pronounce it?
megane o kakeru
Did you know?
- In Japanese manga and anime, the act of pushing up one's glasses with a middle finger is often accompanied by a visual 'glint' to signal that a character is being calculating or intellectual.
- While メガネ (megane) refers to glasses, the word 眼鏡 literally translates to 'eye mirror'.
- While メガネをかける uses the verb 'to hang', if you want to say you are wearing a hat, you must use the verb かぶる (kaburu) instead. Japanese uses different specific verbs for 'wearing' depending on whether the item covers the head, the body, or the feet.
Examples in context
- 彼はいつも眼鏡をかけています。He always wears glasses.
- 友達はいつも眼鏡をかけている。My friend always wears glasses.
- 今日は眼鏡を着けていないんだ。I am not wearing glasses today.
- 毎日メガネをかける。Mainichi megane o kakeru.I wear glasses every day.
- 彼は仕事中にメガネをかける。Kare wa shigoto-chu ni megane o kakeru.He wears glasses while working.
- 勉強するときはメガネをかける。Benkyou suru toki wa megane o kakeru.I wear glasses when I study.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their appearance at a cafe.
- 美咲 Misaki健太くんは、いつもメガネをかけるの？Kenta-kun wa, itsumo megane o kakeru no?Kenta, do you always wear glasses?
- 健太 Kentaうん、近くの文字を見る時はかけるよ。Un, chikaku no moji o miru toki wa kakeru yo.Yes, I wear them when I look at things nearby.
- 美咲 Misakiそのメガネ、似合っているね。Sono megane, niatte iru ne.Those glasses suit you.
- 健太 Kentaありがとう、嬉しいよ。Arigatou, ureshii yo.Thank you, I'm happy to hear that.
