変装（へんそう、hensou）
- disguise

The Japanese word 変装 (へんそう, *hen-sou*) means "disguise," "masquerade," or "to disguise oneself." It refers to the act of altering one's appearance to conceal one's identity or to appear as someone else. This can involve changing clothing, using makeup, wearing a wig, or even changing one's voice or mannerisms. The purpose of 変装 can vary, from entertainment and play to more serious reasons like espionage or escaping detection. The word focuses on the act of transforming one's outward appearance.

⚫︎犯人は警察の目を逃れるために 変装 していた。 Translation: The criminal was disguising themselves to evade the police. ⚫︎パーティーで 変装 して、友達を驚かせた。 Translation: I disguised myself at the party and surprised my friends. ⚫︎映画の中で、スパイが巧妙な 変装 で敵に潜入した。 Translation: In the movie, the spy infiltrated the enemy with a clever disguise.

You use 変装 when talking about someone changing their appearance to hide their identity or to impersonate someone else. It's often used in situations involving costumes, espionage, or theatrical performances. You can use it as a noun, meaning the disguise itself, or as a verb meaning "to disguise oneself." The verb form is usually used with the particle "を" (wo) after the object being disguised or with "する" (suru), meaning "to do". For example: ⚫︎ 変装 を する (*hen-sou wo suru*) – To disguise oneself. ⚫︎ 変装 する人 (*hen-sou suru hito*) – A person who disguises themself. The word implies a deliberate act of changing appearance.

The word 変装 is typically written with the kanji 変 (hen, meaning "change" or "strange") and 装 (sou, meaning "attire," "dress," or "appearance"). It's read in hiragana as へんそう (*hen-sou*). There is not other ways to write the word and there are no okurigana variations, that can be used here. The conjugation is 変装する, 変装した, 変装しない and so on.

There aren't many direct single-word synonyms for 変装. However, words or phrases with a similar meaning include: ⚫︎ 仮装 (*kasou*) - costume; cosplay (focusing on wearing a costume). ⚫︎ 化ける (*bakeru*) - to transform, to disguise oneself (more informal). ⚫︎ 偽装 (*gisou*) - disguise; camouflage (often used in military or official contexts). ⚫︎ 扮装 (*funsou*) - costume; dressing up (focuses on the attire, particularly for roles).

⚫︎ 素顔 (*sugao*) - one's real face; one's natural face. ⚫︎ 正体 (*shoutai*) - one's true identity.

彼女はスパイ映画のために 変装 の練習をたくさんした。 ・Translation: She practiced disguising herself a lot for the spy movie. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the act of someone practicing 変装 (disguise) for a specific purpose, such as a movie role.

パーティーでは、みんなが面白い 変装 をしていた。 ・Translation: Everyone at the party was wearing interesting disguises. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the costumes or disguises worn at a party. The focus is on the different appearances people adopted.

The word 変装 is formed by combining the kanji 変 (hen), which means "change" or "transformation", and the kanji 装 (sou), which means "dress," "attire," or "appearance". Therefore, the etymology of 変装 suggests it's about changing one's outward appearance.