1.
underwear; underpants
Undergarments worn on the lower body.
パンツ is a loanword from English 'pants' with two distinct meanings in Japanese.
Meaning 1 - underwear
When used alone, パンツ most commonly means underpants/underwear in everyday speech.
Meaning 2 - TROUSERS/PANTS
In fashion contexts, パンツ refers to outer garments (trousers).
- ロングパンツ: long pants, trousers
- ショートパンツ: shorts
- 半パン: shorts (casual abbreviation)
- スキニーパンツ: skinny pants
- ジーンズ/ジーパン: jeans
Distinguishing terms
- 下着: underwear (general term)
- ブリーフ: briefs
- トランクス: boxer shorts
- ズボン: trousers (older term, from French 'jupon')
- スラックス: slacks, dress pants
Usage
Context usually makes the meaning clear. Fashion magazines and stores use パンツ for trousers, while in daily conversation it typically means underwear.