Chinese word

外套

Pronunciation

Pinyinwài tào

Meaning

  • nouncoat

Example

你把外套挂在椅子上。nǐ bǎ wài tào guà zài yǐ zi shàng

Hang your coat on the chair.

Illustration for 外套 (coat)

More examples

她在商店试了好几件外套，最后选了最暖和的那件。tā zài shāng diàn shì le háo jǐ jiàn wài tào zuì hòu xuǎn le zuì nuǎn huo de nà jiàn

She tried on several coats in the store and finally chose the warmest one.

Core concept

The removable outer shell of an outfit, ranging from a light layer to heavy weather protection.

Common phrases

  • 一件外套yí jiàn wài tào

    a coat

  • 穿上外套chuān shàng wài tào

    put on a coat

  • 长款外套cháng kuǎn wài tào

    long coat

Similar words

大衣dà yī: A thick coat with a longer shape, worn for protection against cold weather.
夹克jiá kè: A lightweight jacket, often short and front-opening, that suits many outfits.
羽绒服yǔ róng fú: A warm winter coat insulated with feathers or down.

Definition in Chinese

指穿在最外层、用于保暖或遮挡风雨的上衣，可以指大衣、夹克、风衣等外层服装。zhǐ chuān zài zuì wài céng yòng yú báo nuǎn huò zhē dǎng fēng yǔ de shàng yī ké yǐ zhǐ dà yī jiá kè fēng yī děng wài céng fú zhuāng

Word origin

The compound 外套 (wàitào, "outer covering") joins 外 (wài, "outside") with 套 (tào, "covering"), so its form points to something fitted over the rest of an outfit.

Usage tips

  • The word does not by itself specify whether the garment is padded, waterproof, formal, or casual, so Chinese adds descriptive words when those details matter.

Other meanings

  • jacketnoun
  • overcoatnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word