縫い代: seam allowance
表: right side
裏: wrong side
ゴムテープ: elastic
ファスナー： zipper
布: fabric
バイアス布: bias fabric
幅： width (usually used for fabric width, e.g. 110 cm. 幅)
縫う: sew
切り込む: clip (like for the seam allowance of a curve)
丈: length (like for a skirt)
中心: center
後ろ: back
前: front
接着芯: interfacing
ぐし縫い: running stitch, quilting stitch
しつけ： baste (しつけ糸 is basting thread, thick and easy to run through fabric, usually sold in hanks in Japan)
見返し: facing
押さえミシン: topstitch
まつり縫い： hem stitch
手縫い： handstitch
型紙： pattern
ボタン： button
麻： linen
木綿： cotton
ロックミシン： serger, or part to be serged/zig-zag stitched
袖： sleeve
糸： thread
レース: lace
テープメーカー： bias tape maker (usually written with the respective size, 12 mm, 25 mm, etc.
前後： front and back (i.e. 前後スカート, which, when written on the pattern piece, means you cut two pieces)
ギャザー： gather (usually written between two points to show where to gather fabric)
返し口： the space to leave open for turning to the right side (usually slipstitched after turning)
２５番刺しゅう糸： fancy way of saying 6-strand embroidery floss (DMC no. 25)
胸囲： chest measurement
わ： fold (usually written to show where to fold and sew, or where to place the pattern piece on the fabric fold for cutting)
布目線： grainline (usually accompanied by a line/arrows on the paper pattern)
ダーツ： dart(s)
フリル： frill
***Please note that this list is far from comprehensive, but will give you a start. This French blog about sewing with Japanese patterns does a much better job. In the right side column, you will find a link to a .pdf of Japanese-English translations of sewing terms, complete with diagrams.
18 responses so far ↓
WeeBit Wonky // October 7, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Thank you thank you thank you SOOOO much for posting the Japanese Sewing Terms! I am working with the book ‘Machine Made Patchwork’ and needed the clarification.
~ Robyn
Austin TX
Jennifer // October 29, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Many thanks for this invaluable tool! I have so much love for the two pattern books I purchased but have been so disheartened - and questioned my sewing ability - when trying to decipher the instructions with graphics only.
THANK YOU!
mikamika // November 4, 2007 at 3:46 am
Wow, this is very invaluable tool!
I am a Japanese living in the US.
“Baste” means stitching temporary, doesn’t it? If it does so, “baste” is “しつけ（縫い)”.
“ぐし縫い” has the same meaning of “なみ縫い”, and it means simple stitching like hand quilting stitch.
Anyway, thank you for the translation. It is very useful for me.:-)
movinghands // November 4, 2007 at 11:31 pm
Thanks for the comment, mikamika! I wasn’t thinking when i labeled that “baste”. I use しつけ、しつけ糸 all the time, but don’t know what I wrote that when I meant “running stitch”. I will correct it. Thanks!!
kara // November 5, 2007 at 7:30 pm
Thank you for taking the time to put this together. It is such a help to those of us learning to sew in Japanese!
alison // January 2, 2008 at 5:28 am
Hi, I’m having trouble viewing the japanese terms…I was wondering if you know if there’s a setting my computer has to be on to view them or something? I see little squares instead of japanese terms! I could really use this! I just ordered my first japanese pattern book & I’m really excited to get sewing! Thanks!
kamiyra // January 4, 2008 at 7:04 am
Love! Settings>Control Panel>Regional and Language Settings, then click the “Install files for Eastern Languages” checkbox in the Language tab and say ok. If you’re on anything else… sorry, I haven’t tried it on any of the other computers yet, so I don’t know. ^^;;
kamiyra // January 4, 2008 at 7:05 am
Oh my. That didn’t work. I guess it was too long? Two, then. Sorry about this!
alison: If you’re on Windows, head to Start>Settings>Control Panel>Regional and Language Settings, then click the “Install files for Eastern Languages” checkbox in the Language tab and say ok. If you’re on anything else… sorry, I haven’t tried it on any of the other computers yet, so I don’t know. ^^;;
kamiyra // January 4, 2008 at 7:05 am
Love! <3 I’ve been managing pretty well, but most dictionaries don’t really do sewing terms, even if you can usually eventually puzzle it out. (表: “surface, front, outdoors.” …I guess that means the right side of the fabric? ^^;;) I should just make myself a comprehensive list of everything that shows up in my book. xP Though I think I’ll scanlate it instead. :3
Ha Nguyen // January 11, 2008 at 9:26 pm
A million thank you’s for this very helpful post! I’ve been a fan of yours for some time and love to see your beautiful creations. Thanks for sharing!
charlotte // January 12, 2008 at 5:18 am
oh how fantastic - you know what would be great too - would be the romaji so we can also learn to say it in Japanese! I am rubbish at reading Kanji !!
lunemalo // April 24, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Oh my God, I can’t believe it !! That’s IS so generous of you… Now I can’t give any more excuse not to sew at least one of those nice japanese dresses/skirts/pants… Thank you.
Jeannine // May 26, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Hi, why am I not seeing the japanese symbols. I would love to be able to view your list and reference your blog. Can you help me out. I am trying to sew kids clothes. BTW, I have opened a Flickr group called Japanese Sewing. You can post pictures of all of your japanese sewing projects. Just in case you are interested.
Thanks
Jeannine
movinghands // May 26, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Jeannine, I think you might need to download the Japanese language/font support from the Microsoft website.
juliette // June 3, 2008 at 3:55 am
this has helped a ton, I am working on nani iro.
Els // June 11, 2008 at 9:20 am
Thanks a lot for the translation list. I will print it out and put it in my books “Pattern Magic”
willow // June 18, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I came back, hoping to find out what スレキ is.
After a few days of going over it in my head …スレキ…. スレキ…what could it be (my only guess was “slack” but that clearly wasn’t right) I googled the word and found this page
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ki5k-trs/page299.html
….aha! スレキ…. Slick! As in lining! Aha!
kirsten // July 7, 2008 at 11:25 pm
fantastic!
now, i am just wondering if you would also do the same for the setsuko torii handknit works book for me… :)
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