Chinese word

衣服

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī fú

Meaning

  • nounclothes

Example

我今天要买新衣服。wǒ jīn tiān yào mǎi xīn yī fú

I want to buy new clothes today.

Illustration for 衣服 (clothes)

More examples

她每天都要洗衣服。tā měi tiān dōu yào xǐ yī fú

She washes clothes every day.

Core concept

The everyday things worn on the body, from one piece to a complete outfit.

Common phrases

  • 买衣服mǎi yī fú

    buy clothes

  • 穿衣服chuān yī fú

    wear clothes

  • 洗衣服xǐ yī fú

    wash clothes

Similar words

服装fú zhuāng: The way a person is dressed, especially the outfit and appearance suited to a setting or style.

Definition in Chinese

指人们日常穿着的各类衣物，包括内衣、上衣、裤子、裙子、外套等，也可泛指特定场合的着装。zhǐ rén men rì cháng chuān zhe de gè lèi yī wù bāo kuò nèi yī shàng yī kù zi qún zi wài tào děng yě kě fàn zhǐ tè dìng chǎng hé de zhuó zhuāng

Word origin

衣 (yī, "clothing") + 服 (fú, "to wear") combines the idea of clothing with the action of wearing it.

Usage tips

  • English often uses a plural-looking noun, but 衣服 (yīfú, "clothes") can refer to one item or many; 件 (jiàn, "measure word for items") helps count the pieces.

Word lists with this word