カーテン
カーテン
kaaten
= curtain; curtains
Kaaten (カーテン) is the Japanese word for curtain — directly borrowed from English and one of the more interesting loanwords because it exists alongside traditional Japanese room-dividing concepts that have no single English equivalent.
Kaaten (カーテン) refers to window curtains or room curtains in Japanese homes and buildings. It is the standard word for fabric window coverings in Western-style rooms. Key vocabulary: kaaten wo akeru (カーテンを開ける, to open the curtains), kaaten wo shimeru (カーテンを閉める, to close the curtains), and kaaten wo hiku (カーテンを引く, to draw the curtains). Types include reesuu kaaten (レースカーテン, sheer lace curtains — the inner, translucent layer common in Japanese windows) and doreepu kaaten (ドレープカーテン, heavy drape curtains — the outer, opaque layer for blocking light and ensuring privacy). Japanese homes very commonly use a double-layer system: the inner lace layer allows light in while maintaining visual privacy from outside, while the outer drape layer is drawn at night for full privacy and light-blocking.
The double-layer curtain system (reesuu kaaten + doreepu kaaten) is so standard in Japanese homes that landlords and furniture stores market the two as a pair. If you are moving into a Japanese apartment, you will likely need to purchase both layers — the apartment will typically have curtain rails already installed to accommodate them. Makura kaaten (マクラカーテン) is a less common term for valances. The lace layer’s role in Japanese privacy culture is notable: Japanese homes in dense urban areas use reesuu kaaten as a near-permanent screen that allows residents to see out while preventing passersby from easily seeing in.
Everyday use
朝起きたらすぐにカーテンを開けて日光を入れるようにしている。
Asa okitara sugu ni kaaten wo akete nikkou wo ireru you ni shite iru.
I make it a habit to open the curtains right when I wake up to let in the sunlight.
Casual / Social Media
新居に引越したのでカーテン買いに行ってきた！サイズ測るの大変だった笑
Shinkyo ni hikkoshita no de kaaten kai ni itte kita! Saizu hakaru no taihen datta (laugh)
Went to buy curtains for our new place! Measuring the window sizes was such a pain lol
Formal / Cultural context
日本の住居では、レースカーテンとドレープカーテンの二重掛けが一般的である。
Nihon no juukyo de wa, reesu kaaten to doreepu kaaten no nijuu gake ga ippanteki de aru.
In Japanese residences, a double-layer system of lace and drape curtains is standard.
The prevalence of kaaten in Japanese homes reflects the Westernization of living spaces that accelerated from the Meiji era (1868–1912) onward. Traditional Japanese architecture used shoji (障子, paper-paneled sliding screens) and fusuma (襖, opaque sliding panels) to divide and darken rooms — fabric window curtains were largely absent. As Western-style construction spread in the 20th century and apartments replaced traditional wooden homes for urban dwellers, kaaten became the default window treatment and shoji became associated with traditional or luxury rooms.
The two-layer kaaten system has an interesting social function in densely populated Japanese cities. The lace reesuu kaaten operates as a semi-transparent privacy membrane — it allows a resident to monitor the street and receive natural light while appearing from outside as an opaque white surface. This reflects the Japanese value of miegakure (見え隠れ, revealing and concealing) — the idea that what is partly hidden is more engaging than what is fully exposed — expressed in a practical piece of home goods. The lace curtain simultaneously connects and separates the interior and exterior worlds.