衣服詞彙 yīfú cíhuì means clothes vocabulary. Handy, right? Because you do, in fact, need words for the stuff you wear before you can talk about shopping, laundry, packing, or that one jacket you keep “just in case.” This guide teaches everyday Traditional Chinese clothing words with pinyin and simple English meanings.
For the broader learning path, visit our parent guide.
If you want the bigger family tree later, you can also check clothing and accessories in Traditional Chinese, plus the related guides for colors in Traditional Chinese and body care and hygiene in Traditional Chinese. Wardrobes are connected to everything. Very annoying, very useful.
In Taiwan, clothes vocabulary shows up everywhere: at the 夜市 yèshì (night market), in a department store, on a rainy commute, or while asking whether something comes in your size. You’ll see both practical daily words and a few polite shopping phrases, because language likes to dress up too.
Useful Clothes Words
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 衣服 | yīfú | clothes; clothing | 我想買一些衣服。 | Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yìxiē yīfú. | I want to buy some clothes. |
| 上衣 | shàngyī | top; upper garment | 這件上衣很舒服。 | Zhè jiàn shàngyī hěn shūfu. | This top is very comfortable. |
| 褲子 | kùzi | pants; trousers | 他的褲子太長了。 | Tā de kùzi tài cháng le. | His pants are too long. |
| 裙子 | qúnzi | skirt | 這條裙子很好看。 | Zhè tiáo qúnzi hěn hǎokàn. | This skirt looks nice. |
| 洋裝 | yángzhuāng | dress; one-piece dress | 她今天穿了一件洋裝。 | Tā jīntiān chuān le yí jiàn yángzhuāng. | She wore a dress today. |
| 外套 | wàitào | jacket; coat | 外面很冷，帶件外套吧。 | Wàimiàn hěn lěng, dài jiàn wàitào ba. | It’s cold outside, so bring a jacket. |
| 大衣 | dàyī | overcoat; long coat | 冬天我會穿大衣。 | Dōngtiān wǒ huì chuān dàyī. | I wear an overcoat in winter. |
| T 恤 | T-xù | T-shirt | 這件 T 恤是白色的。 | Zhè jiàn T-xù shì báisè de. | This T-shirt is white. |
| 襯衫 | chènshān | shirt; dress shirt | 他今天穿襯衫去上班。 | Tā jīntiān chuān chènshān qù shàngbān. | He wears a shirt to work today. |
| 毛衣 | máoyī | sweater | 這件毛衣很保暖。 | Zhè jiàn máoyī hěn bǎonuǎn. | This sweater is warm. |
| 連帽外套 | liánmào wàitào | hoodie; hooded jacket | 我週末常穿連帽外套。 | Wǒ zhōumò cháng chuān liánmào wàitào. | I often wear a hoodie on weekends. |
| 內衣 | nèiyī | underwear; underwear top | 內衣要買合適的尺寸。 | Nèiyī yào mǎi héshì de chǐcùn. | You should buy the right size of underwear. |
More Everyday Clothing Words
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 內褲 | nèikù | underwear; briefs | 我忘了帶內褲。 | Wǒ wàng le dài nèikù. | I forgot to bring underwear. |
| 襪子 | wàzi | socks | 這雙襪子有點厚。 | Zhè shuāng wàzi yǒudiǎn hòu. | This pair of socks is a bit thick. |
| 鞋子 | xiézi | shoes | 你的鞋子在哪裡？ | Nǐ de xiézi zài nǎlǐ? | Where are your shoes? |
| 運動鞋 | yùndòng xié | sneakers; sports shoes | 我每天都穿運動鞋。 | Wǒ měitiān dōu chuān yùndòng xié. | I wear sneakers every day. |
| 皮鞋 | píxié | dress shoes; leather shoes | 正式場合要穿皮鞋。 | Zhèngshì chǎnghé yào chuān píxié. | Formal occasions require dress shoes. |
| 涼鞋 | liángxié | sandals | 夏天我喜歡穿涼鞋。 | Xiàtiān wǒ xǐhuān chuān liángxié. | I like wearing sandals in summer. |
| 雨鞋 | yǔxié | rain boots; rain shoes | 下大雨時要穿雨鞋。 | Xià dà yǔ shí yào chuān yǔxié. | Wear rain boots when it pours. |
| 帽子 | màozi | hat; cap | 這頂帽子很可愛。 | Zhè dǐng màozi hěn kě’ài. | This hat is cute. |
| 圍巾 | wéijīn | scarf | 你出門前要帶圍巾。 | Nǐ chūmén qián yào dài wéijīn. | Bring a scarf before you go out. |
| 手套 | shǒutào | gloves | 騎機車時我會戴手套。 | Qí jīchē shí wǒ huì dài shǒutào. | I wear gloves when riding a scooter. |
| 皮帶 | pídài | belt | 這條皮帶太鬆了。 | Zhè tiáo pídài tài sōng le. | This belt is too loose. |
| 耳環 | ěrhuán | earrings | 她戴了一對耳環。 | Tā dài le yí duì ěrhuán. | She wore a pair of earrings. |
Quick Taiwan note: 鞋子 xiézi is the normal general word for shoes, and people often use a measure word like 一雙鞋子 yì shuāng xiézi (a pair of shoes). Mandarin loves measure words. It is committed to the bit.
穿 chuān means “to wear” in Mandarin, but it is used more broadly than English “wear.” You can 穿衣服 chuān yīfú (wear clothes), 穿鞋子 chuān xiézi (wear shoes), and 穿外套 chuān wàitào (wear a jacket). Very efficient. No drama.
Shopping And Fit Words
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 尺寸 | chǐcùn | size | 這個尺寸有更大的嗎？ | Zhège chǐcùn yǒu gèng dà de ma? | Is there a bigger size? |
| 合身 | héshēn | well-fitting | 這件上衣很合身。 | Zhè jiàn shàngyī hěn héshēn. | This top fits well. |
| 寬鬆 | kuānsōng | loose; roomy | 我喜歡比較寬鬆的褲子。 | Wǒ xǐhuān bǐjiào kuānsōng de kùzi. | I like looser pants. |
| 緊 | jǐn | tight | 這件衣服太緊了。 | Zhè jiàn yīfú tài jǐn le. | This piece of clothing is too tight. |
| 鬆 | sōng | loose | 褲頭有點鬆。 | Kùtóu yǒudiǎn sōng. | The waistband is a little loose. |
| 試穿 | shìchuān | to try on | 我可以試穿嗎？ | Wǒ kěyǐ shìchuān ma? | Can I try it on? |
| 退換 | tuìhuàn | return or exchange | 這件可以退換嗎？ | Zhè jiàn kěyǐ tuìhuàn ma? | Can this be returned or exchanged? |
| 折扣 | zhékòu | discount | 今天有折扣嗎？ | Jīntiān yǒu zhékòu ma? | Is there a discount today? |
| 特價 | tèjià | special price; sale price | 這件正在特價。 | Zhè jiàn zhèngzài tèjià. | This one is on sale. |
| 櫃台 | guìtái | counter; checkout | 我在櫃台結帳。 | Wǒ zài guìtái jiézhàng. | I’m paying at the counter. |
Outfit And Layering Words
Clothes are not just random fabric. They form an outfit zhuāngbàn or a complete look. In daily conversation, people also say 搭配 dāpèi for matching or styling clothes.
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 搭配 | dāpèi | to match; to coordinate | 這件外套很好搭配。 | Zhè jiàn wàitào hěn hǎo dāpèi. | This jacket is easy to match. |
| 整套 | zhěngtào | whole set; full set | 我買了一整套運動服。 | Wǒ mǎi le yì zhěng tào yùndòngfú. | I bought a whole set of sportswear. |
| 運動服 | yùndòngfú | sportswear | 今天下午我想穿運動服。 | Jīntiān xiàwǔ wǒ xiǎng chuān yùndòngfú. | This afternoon I want to wear sportswear. |
| 睡衣 | shuìyī | pajamas | 我一回家就換睡衣。 | Wǒ yí huíjiā jiù huàn shuìyī. | I change into pajamas as soon as I get home. |
| 制服 | zhìfú | uniform | 學校有制服。 | Xuéxiào yǒu zhìfú. | The school has a uniform. |
| 正裝 | zhèngzhuāng | formal wear | 面試時要穿正裝。 | Miànshì shí yào chuān zhèngzhuāng. | Wear formal clothes for interviews. |
| 便服 | biànfú | casual clothes | 今天可以穿便服。 | Jīntiān kěyǐ chuān biànfú. | Casual clothes are okay today. |
| 換洗衣物 | huànxǐ yīwù | change of clothes; laundry clothes | 我只帶了幾件換洗衣物。 | Wǒ zhǐ dài le jǐ jiàn huànxǐ yīwù. | I only brought a few changes of clothes. |
Real-Life Shopping Phrases
| Traditional Chinese | Pinyin | English Meaning | Example Sentence | Pinyin | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 有我的尺寸嗎？ | Yǒu wǒ de chǐcùn ma? | Do you have my size? | 請問有我的尺寸嗎？ | Qǐngwèn yǒu wǒ de chǐcùn ma? | Excuse me, do you have my size? |
| 我可以試穿嗎？ | Wǒ kěyǐ shìchuān ma? | Can I try it on? | 這件我可以試穿嗎？ | Zhè jiàn wǒ kěyǐ shìchuān ma? | Can I try this on? |
| 這件太大了。 | Zhè jiàn tài dà le. | This is too big. | 這件太大了，有小一點的嗎？ | Zhè jiàn tài dà le, yǒu xiǎo yìdiǎn de ma? | This is too big. Do you have a smaller one? |
| 這件太小了。 | Zhè jiàn tài xiǎo le. | This is too small. | 這件太小了，我穿不下。 | Zhè jiàn tài xiǎo le, wǒ chuān bu xià. | This is too small. I can’t fit into it. |
| 有別的顏色嗎？ | Yǒu bié de yánsè ma? | Do you have another color? | 有別的顏色嗎？黑色也可以。 | Yǒu bié de yánsè ma? Hēisè yě kěyǐ. | Do you have another color? Black is fine too. |
| 這是打折嗎？ | Zhè shì dǎzhé ma? | Is this discounted? | 請問這是打折嗎？ | Qǐngwèn zhè shì dǎzhé ma? | Excuse me, is this on sale? |
| 可以退換嗎？ | Kěyǐ tuìhuàn ma? | Can I return or exchange it? | 如果不合適，可以退換嗎？ | Rúguǒ bù héshì, kěyǐ tuìhuàn ma? | If it doesn’t fit, can I return or exchange it? |
| 我要這件。 | Wǒ yào zhè jiàn. | I want this one. | 我要這件，謝謝。 | Wǒ yào zhè jiàn, xièxie. | I’ll take this one, thank you. |
Small But Useful Nuance Notes
一件 yí jiàn is a super common measure phrase for tops, jackets, dresses, and many clothing items. For pants, shoes, socks, and gloves, different measure words often appear:
- 一件衣服 yí jiàn yīfú — a piece of clothing
- 一條褲子 yì tiáo kùzi — a pair of pants
- 一雙鞋子 yì shuāng xiézi — a pair of shoes
- 一雙襪子 yì shuāng wàzi — a pair of socks
- 一副手套 yí fù shǒutào — a pair of gloves
Also, 穿 chuān is the main verb for putting on clothes, shoes,
