The Ultimate Guide For Talking About Clothes in Chinese

Perhaps you’re just interested in knowing different types of clothes in Chinese, or maybe you want to know specific vocab to use when shopping for clothes on Taobao. Either way our guide will have you speaking about clothes in Chinese like a fashionista in no time.

Clothes in Chinese – Casual Clothes

Clothes in Chinese – Work Clothes

Clothes in Chinese – Formal Clothes

Clothes in Chinese – Coats and Jackets

Clothes in Chinese – Underwear and Nightwear

Clothes in Chinese – Sportswear and Swimwear

Clothes in Chinese – Shoes

Clothes in Chinese – Hats

BONUS EXTRA – Quiz

Clothes in Chinese – Casual Clothes

Clothes in Chinese is 服装 fúzhuāng or 衣服 yīfú and first up we have casual clothes which are called 便服 biànfú.

As I am a Brit I will be using the British names for clothes, not the American ones, pants are underwear not trousers 😆!

• Trousers – 裤子 kù zi
  • Jeans – 牛仔裤 niú zǎi kù
  • Shorts (lit. short trousers) – 短裤 duǎn kù

Did you know that 牛仔 means cowboy, so jeans are literally “cowboy trousers”. 牛仔布 niúzǎi bù is the word for denim, which again literally translates to “cowboy cloth”.

There are lots of different kinds of dresses and skirts, but we’ve picked out a couple of the main styles for you.

• Dress – 连衣裙 liányīqún
  • Maxi dress – 长连衣裙 cháng liányīqún
  • T-shirt dress – T恤连衣裙 T xù liányīqún

• Skirt – 裙子 qún zi or 半身裙 bànshēn qún
  • Miniskirt – 迷你裙 mínǐ qún or 超短裙 chāoduǎnqún
  • Denim skirt – 牛仔裙 niúzǎi qún
  • Culottes (shorts that look like a skirt) – 裙裤 qún kù

• Playsuit – 连身短裤 lián shēn duǎnkù
• Jumpsuit – 连身长裤 lián shēn chángkù, 连衣裤 lián yī kù or 连体装 lián tǐ zhuāng

You’ll see that 连 (lián) is used when describing clothes that cover the whole body such as dresses or playsuits. 连 means join/connect so combined with 身 (shēn) or 体 (tǐ) it literally means “joined body” and combined with 衣 (yī) “joined clothes”. So a playsuit is literally “joined body shorts”.

• T-shirt – T恤 T xù (probably one of the easiest words on our list, this is just a direct transliteration of T-shirt)
• Jumper – 毛衣 máo yī
• Knitted jumper – 针织毛衣zhēn zhī máo yī
• Pullover – 套头衫 tào tóu shān
• Shirt – 衬衫 chèn shān
• Blouse – 女衬衫 nǚ chèn shān

Clothes in Chinese – Work Clothes

We’ve had a look at casual clothes, so now let’s have a look at work wear which is 工作服 gōng zuò fú in Chinese.

• Suit – 西装 xī zhuāng or 西服 xī fú
  • Jacket (of man’s suit) – 西服上衣 xī fú shàng yī
  • Jacket (of woman’s suit) – 夹克衫 jiā kè shān
  • Suit trousers – 西裤 xī kù
  • Tie – 领带 lǐng dài or 领结 lǐng jié
  • Business shirt – 商务衬衫 shāngwù chènshān

You’ll have noticed that the word for west (西 xī) is used to describe western style suits. There is another word for suit in Chinese which is 套装 tào zhuāng, however this refers to a suit of clothes more generally.

• Uniform – 制服 zhì fú
• Overalls – 连体服 lián tǐ fú
• Doctor’s coat – 白大褂 báidàguà
• Scrubs – 医院工作服 yīyuàn gōngzuòfú ( literally “hospital work clothes”, that one is pretty easy to remember!)

Clothes in Chinese – Formal Clothes

Next up is some vocab for formal clothes which are called 礼服 lǐ fú in Chinese. This literally translates to “ceremonial clothes”, you might recognise the character 礼 (lǐ) from the word for present which is 礼物 lǐwù.

• Formal attire – 礼服 lǐ fú
• Tailcoat – 燕尾服 yàn wěi fú
• Tuxedo – 无尾礼服 wú wěi lǐ fú
• Cravat – 领巾 lǐng jīn
• Ballgown – 舞会礼服 wǔhuì lǐfú
• Evening gown – 晚礼服 wǎn lǐfú

Speaking of formal clothes, what about wedding clothes? Check out our blog on wedding customs in China to find out more.

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Clothes in Chinese – Coats and Jackets

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A coat is a must if you’re ever in Beijing for winter, which can get pretty cold!

• Coat – 外套 wài tào
  • Raincoat – 雨衣 yǔ yī
  • Overcoat – 大衣 dàyī
  • Windbreaker – 风衣 fēngyī

• Blazer / Jacket – 夹克 jiá kè or 茄克 jiākè (both of these are transliterations of the English word)
  • Denim jacket – 牛仔外套 niúzǎi wàitào
  • Hooded jacket – 连帽外套 lián mào wàitào
  • Leather jacket – 皮夹克 pí jiákè

Clothes in Chinese – Underwear and Nightwear

Some more essential clothes vocabulary for you, these are definitely a must learn for everyone!

• Underwear – 内衣 nèi yī
  • Pants/knickers – 内裤 nèikù
  • Boxers – 平角裤 píngjiǎo kù
  • Bra – 胸罩 xiōng zhào (if you didn’t know that 胸 xiōng means chest, then you’ll need to brush up on your Chinese body parts.)

• Socks – 袜子 wàzi
  • Trainer socks – 短袜 duǎn wà
  • Knee high socks – 膝上袜 xī shàng wà
  • Stockings – 长筒袜 cháng tǒng wà
  • Tights – 裤袜 kù wà
  • Sheer tights/pantyhose – 连裤袜 lián kù wà

• Undershirt – 汗衫 hàn shān
• Vest – 背心 bèi xīn
• Bathrobe – 浴衣 yù yī

Learning nightwear in Chinese is pretty easy as most words simply combine sleep 睡 shuì with an item of clothing.

• Pyjamas – 睡衣 shuì yī
• Nightgown/nightdress – 睡裙 shuì qún
• Pyjama trousers – 睡裤 shuì kù

Clothes in Chinese – Sportswear and Swimwear

A must for anyone who has an interest in fitness. A lot of these words simply combine the word for sport which is 运动 yùn dòng with different items of clothing.

• Tracksuit – 运动服 yùn dòng fú
• Hoodie – 卫衣 wèi yī
• Sweatshirt – 运动衫 yùn dòng shān
• Tracksuit bottoms – 运动裤 yùndòng kù
• Leggings – 紧身裤 jǐnshēn kù

If you’re interested in sports make sure to have a look at our sports in Chinese blog for even more vocabulary!

• Swimming costume – 泳衣 yǒng yī
• Bikini – 比基尼 bǐ jī ní
• Swimming trunks – 泳裤 yǒng kù

You’ll definitely want to make sure you pick up a swimming costume for summer in Beijing, heading to an outside pool is one of the best ways to cool off!

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Clothes in Chinese – Shoes

Now we have the all important words for different types of shoes in Chinese. You’ll see that a couple of these words have the character 皮 pí in them, which is the word for leather.

• Footwear – 鞋类 xié lèi
• Shoe – 鞋 xié
• Pair (of shoes) – 一双(鞋) yī shuāng (xié)
• Shoestring – 鞋带 xié dài
• Low-heeled shoes – 低跟鞋 dī gēn xié
• Stilettos / High heels – 高跟鞋 gāo gēn xié
• Leather shoes  – 皮鞋 pí xié
• Trainers – 运动鞋 yùn dòng xié
• Moccasins  – 鹿皮鞋 lù pí xié
• Canvas shoes  – 帆布鞋 fān bù xié
• Clogs – 木屐 mù jī

• Boots – 靴子 xuē zi
  • Ankle boots – 短靴 duǎn xuē
  • Cowboy boots – 牛仔靴 niú zǎi xuē
  • Leather boots – 皮靴 pí xuē
  • Wellington boots – 雨靴 yǔ xuē
• Slippers – 拖鞋 tuō xié
• Sandals – 凉鞋 liáng xié
• Flip-flops – 人字拖 rén zì tuō

Clothes in Chinese – Hats

For our final category we have hats, which some people may say is an essential part to finish any outfit. Hat in Chinese is 帽子 mào zi, and as you can imagine there are tonnes of different types and variations:

• Fedora – 礼帽 lǐ mào
• Baseball cap – 棒球帽 bàng qiú mào
• Flatcap – 鸭舌帽yā shé mào
• Beret – 贝雷帽 bèi léi mào
• Hood – 兜帽 Dōu mào
• Panama hat – 巴拿马草帽 bā ná mǎ cǎo mào

• Knitted hat – 针织帽 zhēn zhī mào
• Headscarf – 头巾 tóu jīn
• Woman’s hat – 女士帽 nǚ shì mào
• Hard hat – 安全帽 ān quán mào
• Garrison cap – 船形帽 chuán xíng mào
• Helmet – 头盔 tóu kuī
• Derby – 圆顶礼帽 yuán dǐng lǐ mào

So now you’ve learnt lots of different types of clothes in Chinese, but what about jewellery in Chinese?

Jewellery in Chinese 💍 59 Must Know Words

From more specific types of jewellery in Chinese to different gemstones and famous brands, we’ve got everything covered for you right here.

Clothes in Chinese – Quiz

Why not have a go at our quick quiz to test your vocab for clothes in Chinese?

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Clothes in Chinese – FAQs

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