Japanese Clothing and Shoe Sizes Guide: Uniqlo, cm Shoes and Why Everything Runs Small

Japan is the easiest country in the world to buy shoes from and one of the most confusing to buy clothes from. Shoes are sold in centimeters, so a 26.5 is a 26.5 cm foot and there is nothing to decode. Clothes are sold in a letter system that looks like the US system but sits one to two sizes smaller, or in a numeric women’s system (7, 9, 11, 13) that has no counterpart anywhere else. Here is how each one converts, and what the numbers do not tell you.

Shoes: centimeters, but check whose

Japanese shoe sizes are the length of the foot the shoe is designed for, in 0.5 cm steps. A 27.0 is intended for a 270 mm foot. Measure your foot (the method is in how to measure your foot at home), read off the number, done. For a US comparison:

JP (cm)	US Men	US Women	UK	EU
23.0	5	6.5	4.5	37
24.0	6	7.5	5.5	38.5
25.0	7	8.5	6.5	40
26.0	8	9.5	7.5	41.5
27.0	9	10.5	8.5	42.5
28.0	10	11.5	9.5	44
29.0	11	12.5	10.5	45

Two cautions. First, Japanese lasts (Asics, Mizuno, Onitsuka Tiger, Moonstar, Hoka Japan-market) tend to be wider in the forefoot, often labeled 2E or 3E as the standard width. If your foot is narrow, Asics can feel roomy at your usual cm size. Second, Western brands sold in Japan print a cm figure on the box that is their own conversion, not a measurement. Adidas’ cm figure runs about 0.5 cm larger than Nike’s for the same US size. Trust the US number on those boxes and use the men’s or women’s converter.

Japanese sizes above 28.0 cm for men and 25.0 cm for women are scarce in domestic stores. If you are a US 11 or above, buy Japanese brands from their global sites, not from Japanese resellers.

Uniqlo, Muji and GU: letters that run small

Uniqlo’s global sizing has converged over the past decade, and the products sold on Uniqlo US and Uniqlo EU are cut for those markets. The catch is that Uniqlo Japan products are cut for Japan, and if you buy from a Japan-based proxy or reseller you get the Japan cut. The difference is roughly one full size.

Uniqlo JP size	Chest (cm)	Equivalent US size	Equivalent EU
XS	80–88	XXS	42
S	88–96	XS	44
M	96–104	S	46–48
L	104–112	M	50
XL	112–120	L	52
XXL	120–128	XL	54

Sleeve and body length are also shorter on the Japan cut, by 2–3 cm on a shirt and 3–4 cm on an inseam. Uniqlo Japan offers free hemming on trousers in store precisely because the standard inseam is short; if you are ordering online, check the listed inseam (股下) rather than assuming.

Muji uses the same conventions and runs, if anything, slightly slimmer through the chest. GU (Uniqlo’s budget sibling) is cut for a younger Japanese customer and is the smallest of the three.

The full letter-to-measurement tables are on the Uniqlo clothing size page; the men’s clothing converter will take your chest and waist and give you both the Japan and the US/EU letter.

Women’s 7/9/11/13 sizes

Japanese women’s clothing from department-store brands and many domestic labels uses odd numbers: 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. These come from a JIS standard where 9 is the base size (bust 83 cm, waist 64 cm, hips 91 cm for a 158 cm woman) and each step adds about 3 cm at the bust.

JP number	Bust (cm)	Waist (cm)	US	UK	EU
5	77	58	0	4	32
7	80	61	2	6	34
9	83	64	4	8	36
11	86	67	6	10	38
13	89	70	8	12	40
15	92	73	10	14	42

Anything above 13 is treated as plus-size in Japan and stocked sparingly. A US 10 (JP 15) will find a fraction of the catalog available. Sleeve lengths and hem lengths are cut for a 158 cm base height; the height converter is useful for comparing your height with the model height that Japanese listings almost always give (モデル身長).

You will sometimes see a letter suffix such as 9AR or 11AT. The letter after the number is the hip type (A standard, Y slim, AB fuller) and the last letter is height: P for petite (around 150 cm), R for regular (158 cm), T for tall (166 cm). A 9AT is the same bust and waist as a 9AR but with longer sleeves and body. When you see the T option, it is usually the better choice for anyone over 165 cm.

The women’s clothing converter includes the Japanese number alongside US, UK and EU.

Jeans and trousers

Japanese denim brands (Edwin, Big John, Momotaro, Japan Blue, Iron Heart) mark waists in inches like everyone else, but nearly all of them are cut with a tighter thigh and a lower rise than Levi’s, and raw denim from these brands shrinks 1–2 inches at the waist on the first wash unless it is sanforized. Read the product page: “one wash” or “sanforized” means stable, “unsanforized” or “shrink-to-fit” means buy 1–2 inches larger. The brand pages list flat measurements after wash; compare those against your own jeans rather than the tag size. If your reference is a pair of Levi’s, the Levi’s size page has the flat measurements for common fits.

Hats and accessories

Japanese hats are sold in cm head circumference (57, 58, 59…) or in letter sizes where a Japanese L is about 59 cm, versus about 60 cm for a US L. Japanese cap brands (New Era Japan is the same as global; domestic brands like Kijima Takayuki are not) run small. Measure and use the hat size converter.

FAQ

Do Uniqlo sizes in Japan differ from Uniqlo sizes in the US?

Yes. Uniqlo Japan products are cut for the Japanese market and run about one size smaller than the same letter on Uniqlo US or Uniqlo Europe, with shorter sleeves and inseams. If you buy through a Japanese proxy service, order one letter up from your usual Uniqlo size.

What is a 26.5 Japanese shoe size in US?

A JP 26.5 cm is a US men’s 8.5 or a US women’s 10, a UK 8, an EU 42. Japanese sizes are the foot length in centimeters, so if your foot measures 265 mm, 26.5 is your size in Japanese brands. Western brands sold in Japan use their own cm conversions, which may differ by half a size.

What does 9AR mean on Japanese women’s clothing?

9 is the bust and waist size (roughly US 4), A is the hip type (standard), and R is height (regular, cut for about 158 cm). P is petite, T is tall. A 9AT has the same bust and waist as a 9AR with about 3–4 cm more length in sleeves and body.