(ちゃぱつ)

ちゃぱつ
noun
brown-dyed hair, light-brown hair
1. brown-dyed hair, light-brown hair
Hair that has been dyed brown or light brown. In Japan, where most people have naturally black hair, dyeing one's hair brown became a widespread fashion trend starting in the 1990s. The term can carry slight nuances of casualness or rebelliousness depending on context.
高校生(こうこうせい)茶髪(ちゃぱつ)校則(こうそく)禁止(きんし)されている。
Brown-dyed hair for high school students is prohibited by school rules.
彼女(かのじょ)茶髪(ちゃぱつ)にイメージチェンジした。
She changed her look by dyeing her hair brown.
就活(しゅうかつ)のために茶髪(ちゃぱつ)(くろ)(もど)学生(がくせい)(おお)い。
Many students dye their brown hair back to black for job hunting.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 茶髪(ちゃぱつ)にする: to dye one's hair brown
  • 茶髪(ちゃぱつ)(くろ)(もど)す: to dye brown hair back to black
  • 茶髪(ちゃぱつ)禁止(きんし): ban on brown hair

CULTURAL CONTEXT:
茶髪(ちゃぱつ) became a major fashion trend in the 1990s and remains common. Many Japanese schools and workplaces have rules against it, viewing it as inappropriate. Students with naturally lighter hair have sometimes been asked to dye it black, sparking social debate. The word combines (ちゃ) (tea/brown) and (はつ/かみ) (hair), with the rendaku-like reading ぱつ.