Translation guide
The English word 'stripping' covers several distinct actions: removing a covering or layer, taking off clothes, dismantling something, or chemically removing something. This guide organizes the most useful Japanese expressions for each meaning.
Expressing the action of taking off a covering, such as paint, wallpaper, bark, or a surface layer.
Transitive verb meaning to peel off, tear off, or strip off something attached to a surface. Commonly used for stickers, wallpaper, paint, etc.
Transitive verb meaning to peel or strip the outer layer from something, like fruit skin or bark.
木の皮を剥く。
I strip the bark off the tree.
Transitive verb meaning to strip off or tear away forcefully. Often used for skin, clothes, or coverings in a more aggressive manner.
彼は壁からポスターを剥ぎ取った。
He stripped the poster off the wall.
Expressing the action of removing one's own or someone else's clothing.
General verb for taking off clothes or shoes. Use this for everyday undressing.
服を脱ぐ。
I take off my clothes.
彼はシャツを脱いだ。
He stripped off his shirt.
Literally 'become naked'. Used when someone strips completely or gets naked.
Causative form of 脱ぐ, meaning to make someone strip or to undress someone else.
母親は子供の服を脱がせた。
The mother stripped the child's clothes off.
Expressing the action of stripping down a machine, engine, or structure into its parts.
General verb for disassembling or taking apart mechanical or electronic items.
エンジンを分解する。
I strip down the engine.
Colloquial phrase meaning to take something apart into pieces, often used for furniture or simple objects.
机をばらばらにした。
I stripped the desk down.
Expressing the removal of paint, varnish, or other coatings using chemicals.
Means 'to remove with a stripping agent'. 剥離剤 is a chemical stripper.
剥離剤でペンキを落とす。
I strip the paint using a chemical stripper.
Technical term for stripping or peeling off, often used in industrial or chemical contexts.
塗膜を剥離する。
Strip the coating.
While 脱ぐ is the standard verb for taking off clothes, using it in polite or formal situations may sound too direct. Consider using 着替える (change clothes) or more indirect expressions when appropriate.
剥がす is for removing something attached flatly to a surface (stickers, wallpaper). 剥く is for peeling the outer layer of something three-dimensional (fruit, bark). Do not confuse them.
She stripped naked.