There are many ways for men to tie hakama. First, the obi is tied in a special knot (an "under-hakama knot") at the rear; men start with the front section, bringing the ties around the back and crossing them over the top of the knot of the obi. The ties are brought to the front and crossed below the waist, then tied at the back, under the knot of the obi. The toggle is then tucked behind the obi, and the rear ties are brought to the front and tied in a variety of ways. The most formal method results in a knot that resembles two bow-ties in a cross shape.

Women's hakama

Women's hakama differ from men's in a variety of ways, most notably fabric design and method of tying.

While men's hakama can be worn on both formal and informal occasions, women rarely wear hakama except at graduation ceremonies, though this is by no means a rule. While formal men's hakama are made of striped fabric, women's hakama tend to be of single-color or gradated fabric.

Women wear hakama at the true waist, while men wear them slightly below. The method of tying the straps is also different, with women's hakama being tied in a more simple knot.

Women also wear hakama as part of their martial arts uniforms, but only very rarely at tea ceremony.

Scarlet hakama are characteristic of miko, or female Shinto shrine attendants. Red hakama could be considered the Shinto equivalent of a Christian Nun's habit. Monks also wear a garment that bears a small resemblance to hakama, though as it is shorter, tied differently, and made of lighter, usually orange silk, it more closely resembles an apron. Shinto shrine workers wear white kimono and white hakama.