Japanese apparel brands are trending right now with many fashionable styles. As such, plenty of international shoppers are buying Japanese fashion online- at places like Yahoo! Japan Auctions and other online Japanese stores.

As Japanese sizes are different from many of the other global sizes, it’s essential that you know which ones you need. This guide will give you the top tips to choose the right sizes in Japan so you can feel comfortable buying online.

Are you ready to find out your Japanese clothes size?

Size differences

Depending on where you live, Japanese sizes may be different from the sizes in your country. For example, more often than not, Japanese sizes are smaller than Western sizes. Because of this, Westerners should buy a size or more above their usual size.

Secondly, Japan uses centimeters (cms) as its units of measurement. If you are from a country that uses inches, you will need to remember to find your measurements in cms, too. You will see cms everywhere when you buy from Japan!

Here are a couple more examples of how Japanese sizing is so different.

Localized sizing

International brands often localize their clothes sizes to fit their different markets. Clothes in the Japanese market will have slightly different cuts or shapes to those in other countries. Companies edit the size label to show people which items have localized sizing.

For example, in Japan, you may find some clothes labels with an “A” next to the number. This means that the size is localized and tailored to fit the Japanese sizes better.

Due to this, please make sure that you check the measurements of a localized item before buying, to be confident that it will fit you.

Big sizes

Some Asian brands will use the terms “model,” “queen,” or “king” to identify the larger sizes. “Queen” and “king” show the plus-sized clothes, and “model” shows the shoes. It was initially labeled this way because taller people (of modeling height) would need bigger shoes.

Shoe sizes

Finding your Japanese shoe size is quite easy. Japan uses the size of your foot in centimeters (cms) for the size of the shoe.

You can use this guide to find your Japanese shoe size in cms. Make sure you allow some extra room when measuring, so there is space for comfort when moving and wearing your shoes for long periods.

Depending on your foot size, you may need to look out for wide-fit, as Japanese shoes are narrow. In some cases, e.g., formal shoes and high heels, these could be marked with “E”s to show width. (EEE or EEEE are generally the wide-fit labels that match up to average Western shoe sizes.)

Children’s sizes

In Japan, children’s clothes are grouped by height in cms; you will find labels like “110” and “140.” As with most clothes in Asia, the children’s clothes come out a little small.

Measure your child’s height to find their Japanese children’s clothes measurements.

Size conversion tables vs. body measurements

When looking for international clothes sizes, you will often find size conversion tables. These can be helpful because you can quickly convert one size to another if you already know your size from a different country.

However, using conversion tables can give changing results, as some places will have slightly different sizes to others. There can be more than one equivalent for each size. As such, we recommend that you take your measurements then find your sizes directly in cms to ensure the closest fit possible.

Use the charts below to find out your possible Japanese sizes. The measurements are based on one of Japan’s biggest clothing retailers, UNIQLO, to provide you with a good idea of the size you could be; It’s a brand that is popularly used in Japan. (For those of you who are used to using inches for measurements, you’ll see inches in the lighter color, underneath the cms measurements.)

Women

Men

Children

Please take care when using these charts; some sellers will have their own sizing conversions. Be sure to check the item measurements directly on the item page to find your best fit with each brand.

Japan is known to be incredibly fashion-conscious, and home to a range of elegant, classic, daring, and contemporary styles. It’s no wonder that so many people are looking online to buy Japanese clothes. You can search for any style you like and add extra life to your wardrobe with all of the cool, in-trend Japanese fashion, all from the comfort of your own home.

Use the top tips in this sizing guide to find your best-fitting Japanese clothes sizes and give yourself the confidence to buy clothes online. Then, look at the massive range of items on Japanese online auctions and shopping malls on jauce.com to find your next favorite outfit. And, with JAUCE’s 60 days of free storage and the package consolidation, you can buy clothes from loads of different Japanese stores and have them all shipped in one box (so you can save money on your international delivery, too!)

If you have any questions about any of the above, or anything that we didn’t mention, please don’t hesitate to comment below!

Happy shopping!