kimono

IPA/kɪˈməʊnəʊ/
KK[kəmˈonə]IPA/kɪˈməʊnəʊ/

kimono — noun

  • kimonosingular
  • kimonosplural

1. a garment worn in Japan on important occasions, cut as an elongated loose-fittin

1.nounB1
Definition

a garment worn in Japan on important occasions, cut as an elongated loose-fitting coat whose broad sleeves hang near the ankles, wrapped across the chest and kept closed at the waist by a wide belt called an obi

Example

Kenji wore a formal black kimono to his sister's wedding ceremony.

collocation: wear + kimono + formal event

The bride's red kimono was decorated with golden cranes and cherry blossoms.

kimono colour/pattern described with inanimate subject

Common collocations
  • wear a kimono
  • put on a kimono
  • dress in a kimono
  • formal kimono
  • silk kimono
  • cotton kimono
  • kimono sleeve
  • kimono pattern
  • kimono belt
  • tie the obi
Synonyms
  • robe

    too broad and Western-focused; does not capture the structured wrap, wide sleeves, or obi belt of a kimono

  • yukata

    a lighter cotton version of the kimono worn in summer, less formal and simpler to tie

Grammar Patterns

a/the + kimono

in + kimono

wear + kimono

Usage Note

In Japanese tradition, the left side of the kimono is always wrapped over the right side — the opposite (right over left) is used only for dressing the dead and must be avoided in daily wear. The choice of fabric, colour, and pattern also signals the wearer's age, marital status, and the season. The lightweight summer cotton version is called a yukata, which learners sometimes confuse with a formal kimono.

Common Mistakes

She wore a kimono as a dressing gown at home.
She wore a light cotton yukata at home during summer.
A yukata is the casual summer version; a formal kimono is not worn as loungewear.
He wrapped the kimono right side over left.
He wrapped the kimono left side over right.
The right-over-left fold is used only for funerals in Japanese culture.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Kimono (和服) refers specifically to the full-length traditional Japanese garment worn on formal occasions, with wide sleeves, a wrap-front design, and an obi belt. Yukata (浴衣) is a lighter, unlined cotton version worn in summer for festivals or in hot-spring inns — it is more casual and does not require the same layered accessories. Robe is a much broader English word that covers bathrobes, dressing gowns, and judges' robes; using it for kimono loses the cultural specificity. If you see a Japanese garment described simply as a 'robe' in English, check whether the source means a yukata or a formal kimono — the two differ in fabric, formality, and occasion.

kimono ↗yukata ↗robe ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • kimono fabric
  • kimono pattern
  • kimono sleeve
  • kimono belt
  • kimono shop
  • kimono rental

Adverbs

Phrases

  • wear a kimono
  • put on a kimono
  • take off a kimono
  • wrap a kimono
  • tie the obi
  • dress in a kimono

Prepositions

  • in (dressed in a kimono)
  • with (kimono with floral patterns)
  • of (fabric of the kimono)

Etymology

JapaneseEnglish

Kimono comes directly from Japanese 着物 (kimono), where ki (着) means 'to wear' and mono (物) means 'thing' — so the word literally means 'a thing to wear' or 'clothing.' The term entered English in the late 1600s when Dutch traders brought Japanese garments back to Europe. Over the centuries, the English meaning narrowed from 'any Japanese clothing' to the specific formal robe we know today.