はく and きる or just きる?


Textbook says はく is for stuff you wear below your waist (ジーンズをはいている) and きる
for stuff you wear above your waist (T-シャツをきています). But checking for 着る on
[www.tangorin.com](http://www.tangorin.com) I find 着る defined as **to wear (in
modern Japanese, from the shoulders down); to put on**. Does this mean I can
just discard はく and use きる for everything shoulders down?




The difference has to do with _how the clothing is put on_.

[着]{き}る is for clothing that's _hung from your shoulders_ , such as a shirt or
jacket. It's also used for whole-body outfits, or any combination of clothes
that includes something worn this way (eg Tシャツとジーンズを着る, even though only Tシャツ
is valid with 着る).

[履]{は}く is for clothing that's _pulled up from below_ , such as pants or
shoes. (Don't mix this up with 吐く, which is a totally different verb.)

[被]{かぶ}る is for clothing that's _placed on top of your head_ , such as a hat.

つける is for small accessories like rings and earrings, that are more _attached_
than placed or hung.

Sometimes more than one is valid - masks, for example, seem to fall inbetween
被る and つける, and so you can use either one.

(thanks to Darius Jahandarie for some extra info)




The difference has to do with _how the clothing is put on_.

[着]{き}る is for clothing that's _hung from your shoulders_ , such as a shirt or
jacket. It's also used for whole-body outfits, or any combination of clothes
that includes something worn this way (eg Tシャツとジーンズを着る, even though only Tシャツ
is valid with 着る).

[履]{は}く is for clothing that's _pulled up from below_ , such as pants or
shoes. (Don't mix this up with 吐く, which is a totally different verb.)

[被]{かぶ}る is for clothing that's _placed on top of your head_ , such as a hat.

つける is for small accessories like rings and earrings, that are more _attached_
than placed or hung.

Sometimes more than one is valid - masks, for example, seem to fall inbetween
被る and つける, and so you can use either one.

(thanks to Darius Jahandarie for some extra info)

