nureginu o kiseru lit. ‘to make someone wear wet clothes’
Japanese idiom, everyday. To shift the blame onto someone else.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Japanese speaker.
How do people use 濡れ衣を着せる
?
Everyday Japanese for pinning a crime or a mistake on someone who didn’t do it. You hear the passive most, from the victim’s side: “濡れ衣を着せられた” (I was framed). The noun 濡れ衣 alone also works: “それは濡れ衣だ” (that’s a false accusation).
Also said 濡れ衣を着せられる, 濡れ衣を着る
濡れ衣を着せる
in real sentences
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トムは濡れ衣を着せられた。
Tomu wa nureginu o kiserareta.
Tom got blamed even though it wasn’t his fault.
Tatoeba, sentence by tommy_san, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
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濡れ衣を着せられた。
Nureginu o kiserareta.
I was falsely accused.
Tatoeba, sentence by small_snow, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does 濡れ衣を着せる
come from?
It’s very old: Nihon Kokugo Daijiten (via Kotobank) quotes poem 402 of the Kokinshū (905 to 914), and the Daijisen cites The Tale of Genji. In those early uses it also meant an unfounded rumor about a love affair. Why wet clothes stand for false blame isn’t recorded in these sources, and the stories told about it are folk explanations.
Mistakes learners make with 濡れ衣を着せる
Using 着る (to wear) when you mean someone else did it to you. 濡れ衣を着る means you took on the false blame yourself; the person doing the blaming 着せる (dresses you in it).
Other Japanese idioms like 濡れ衣を着せる
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?
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