靴（くつ、kutsu）
- shoes

The Japanese word 靴 (くつ, kutsu) means "shoes" or "footwear" in English. It refers to any type of covering for the feet, worn for protection, comfort, or style. This includes a wide variety of footwear, from casual sneakers to formal dress shoes.

⚫︎新しい靴を買いました。 Translation: I bought new shoes. ⚫︎靴を脱いで、家に入ってください。 Translation: Please take off your shoes and enter the house. ⚫︎彼は靴を磨いています。 Translation: He is polishing his shoes.

⚫︎You use 靴 in everyday conversation when referring to any kind of shoes. ⚫︎It can be used in both formal and informal settings. ⚫︎When specifying the type of shoes, you can add adjectives or other words before 靴. For example, ランニング靴 (running shoes), 革靴 (leather shoes), or 赤い靴 (red shoes).

⚫︎The word 靴 is most commonly written with the kanji 靴. ⚫︎The hiragana reading is くつ. ⚫︎The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is always "くつ" . ⚫︎It is never written in katakana. ⚫︎Variations in okurigana are not applicable for this word.

There aren't direct synonyms that completely replace 靴 in all contexts, but here are some related terms: ⚫︎履物 (はきもの, hakimono): general term for footwear. ⚫︎シューズ (shūzu): often used for more stylish or sporty shoes (loanword). ⚫︎Specific types of shoes: e.g., スニーカー (sunīkā, sneakers), ブーツ (būtsu, boots).

There are no direct antonyms for 靴. The opposite of wearing shoes would be being barefoot 裸足 (はだし, hadashi). However, 靴 refers to the footwear itself, not the action of wearing it.

新しい靴が欲しいです。 ・Translation: I want new shoes. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses a desire to have new shoes.

靴を履いて出かけます。 ・Translation: I will put on my shoes and go out. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the action of wearing shoes before leaving the house.

The etymology of 靴 (kutsu) is thought to come from the ancient word 沓, which was also read as くつ (kutsu). The character 靴 was borrowed to represent the sound and meaning of this word. The original character was probably related to the shape of the foot covering.