Word Detail

眼鏡 (めがね, megane) means "glasses" or "spectacles" in English. It refers to the device worn on the face to aid vision or to protect the eyes. It is a very common and essential word in Japanese.

⚫︎眼鏡をかける。 Translation: To wear glasses. ⚫︎新しい眼鏡を買いました。 Translation: I bought new glasses. ⚫︎彼は眼鏡をかけています。 Translation: He is wearing glasses.

⚫︎眼鏡 is used in everyday conversation to refer to any type of glasses, including prescription glasses, sunglasses, and even safety glasses. ⚫︎You can use it to describe your own glasses, someone else's glasses, or to ask about someone's glasses. ⚫︎It's important to note the appropriate honorifics depending on the social context. For example, when speaking politely, you might say お眼鏡 (omegane), but this is not a mandatory rule.

⚫︎The word is typically written using the kanji 眼鏡. ⚫︎The reading is めがね in hiragana. ⚫︎It's very rare to see it written in katakana. ⚫︎There are no variations in okurigana for this word. ⚫︎The word includes the full-width brackets眼鏡 itself.

⚫︎There aren't many direct synonyms for "glasses" in Japanese, but depending on the context, you might use more descriptive terms: ⚫︎サングラス (sungurasu) - Sunglasses ⚫︎老眼鏡 (rōgankyou) - Reading glasses

⚫︎There is no single direct antonym. You might describe someone who *doesn't* wear glasses by saying they have "good eyesight" or "excellent vision" using words like 視力が良い (shiryoku ga yoi).

私の眼鏡は少し古いですが、よく見えます。 ・Translation: My glasses are a little old, but I can see well. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the speaker's glasses and their function.

あの人はいつも眼鏡をかけているから、とても印象的だ。 ・Translation: That person always wears glasses, so they are very impressive. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a person and mentions that they always wear glasses, making it a distinctive characteristic.

The word 眼鏡 is a compound of two kanji: 眼 (me), meaning "eye," and 鏡 (kagami), meaning "mirror" or "lens." Therefore, 眼鏡 literally means "eye mirror" or "eye lens," referring to the way glasses reflect and manipulate light to aid vision.