Translation guide
The English word "bare" has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common ones for learners: uncovered/empty, minimal/just enough, and to reveal/expose. It also notes related concepts like nakedness and plainness.
Describing something that is not covered, has nothing on it, or lacks the usual covering or contents.
A bare light bulb illuminated the room.
Means 'exposed' or 'bare', emphasizing that something usually covered is now visible. Often used for wires, skin, or emotions.
むき出しの電線に触らないでください。
Please do not touch the bare wires.
Literally 'there is nothing'. Used to describe a bare room, wall, or surface that is empty or lacks decoration.
部屋には何もなかった。
The room was bare. (There was nothing in the room.)
Describes a large, empty, and often echoey space. Conveys a sense of bareness and emptiness.
がらんとした部屋に一人で立っていた。
I stood alone in the bare room.
Describing the minimum necessary, without anything added or extra.
Means 'minimum' or 'bare minimum'. Used for necessities, requirements, or efforts.
最低限の生活費しかない。
I only have the bare minimum living expenses.
最低限の努力しかしなかった。
He only made the bare minimum effort.
Emphasizes 'the minimum necessary'. Slightly more formal than 最低限の.
必要最低限の情報だけを伝えてください。
Please convey only the bare essentials of information.
Means 'barely enough', 'just barely'. Often used for passing scores, deadlines, or quantities.
ぎりぎりの合格だった。
It was a bare pass. (I barely passed.)
Means 'simple' or 'plain', often implying bareness in a positive, uncluttered sense.
彼は簡素な生活を送っている。
He leads a bare, simple life.
The action of making something visible that was hidden or covered.
To lay bare, expose, or reveal (often emotions, secrets, or one's soul).
彼は心をさらけ出した。
He bared his soul.
To expose, reveal, or lay bare. Can be used for physical things or abstract things like feelings.
彼は怒りをあらわにした。
He bared his anger.
To expose or bare something that is normally covered, like teeth or wires.
犬は歯をむき出しにした。
The dog bared its teeth.
裸 (はだか) is the most common word for 'naked' and can be used metaphorically (e.g., 裸の王様). 裸体 (らたい) is more formal and specifically refers to a naked body, often in art or medical contexts. ヌード is a loanword from English 'nude' and is used for artistic or photographic nudity.
English 'bare' is often used in phrases like 'bare walls' or 'bare feet'. In Japanese, you usually need to describe the state (e.g., 何もない壁 'walls with nothing on them') rather than using a direct adjective equivalent. 裸足 (はだし) is a specific word for 'bare feet'.