Japanese with Manga

Attire and equipment with

装 means to wear clothes, to decorate one’s appearance, to install machinery, and to pretend to be. In every case, it is about what gets put on or arranged outwardly.

Etymology

This kanji is as a phono-semantic compound built on 衣 (clothing) with a sound-bearing element related to 壮. Its oldest sense centers on dressing and outward appearance.

Clothing and Appearance

(Costume)

衣装(いしょう) means clothing, especially a costume for theater or dance, or formal clothes for an occasion.

It combines 衣 (clothes) with 装 (outfit) to show clothing worn as an outfit.

Manga panel from カードキャプターさくら showing example of Costume for catching a Clow Card with 衣装.
カードキャプターさくら » Volume 1 » Page 80

A magical bird appears at Sakura’s school and causes trouble with strong winds. Recognizing it as a Clow Card, Sakura returns at night to try to capture it. After she fails, she returns the next night to try again, sporting a new Cardcaptor outfit designed by her friend Tomoyo.

知世(ともよ):
「今日(きょう)の衣装(いしょう)は鳥(とり)さん捕獲(ほかく)に合(あ)わせて羽(はね)をイメージしてみました」
“For today's outfit, I went with a feather-inspired look to match the bird-catching theme.”
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