1.
protective gear; protective equipment
Equipment worn to protect the body from injury, used in sports like kendo, baseball, and other activities.
防具を着ける。
Put on protective gear.
剣道の防具は手入れが大切だ。
Maintaining kendo protective gear is important.
試合の前に防具をしっかり確認してください。
Please check your protective gear carefully before the match.
2.
armor; defensive equipment
Armor or protective equipment used historically in battle or in fantasy/game contexts.
武士は防具を身につけて戦った。
Samurai wore armor and fought in battle.
このゲームでは強い防具を手に入れると有利になる。
In this game, obtaining strong armor gives you an advantage.
博物館に展示されている中世の防具は保存状態がよい。
The medieval armor displayed in the museum is in good condition.
Most commonly associated with kendo gear in modern Japanese. The full set of kendo 防具 consists of 面 (face guard), 胴 (torso protector), 小手 (gauntlets), and 垂 (waist protector).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 防具を着ける (put on protective gear)
- 防具を外す (take off protective gear)
- 防具を装備する (equip armor — games)
RELATED WORDS:
- 武具 covers both offensive and defensive equipment
- 甲冑 refers specifically to historical Japanese armor