When learning Chinese, accumulating vocabulary is an important part of the language journey.

Although it's not necessary to memorize tons of words that you won't use often, like technical terms or very specific items, it is always good to learn the ones you find the most practical, and have a guide to refer to when expressing less common things!

This article is on a SUPER practical topic: 衣服 (yī fu) - clothing/clothes!

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衣服 (yī fu) - clothing/clothes

Tops

衬衫 (chèn shān) - shirt/blouse

背心 (bèi xīn) - tank top

T恤衫 (T xù shān) - T-shirt

毛衣 (máo yī) - sweater

卫衣 (wèi yī) - hoodie

运动衫 (yùn dòng shān) - sweatshirt

外套 (wài tào) - coat/jacket

羽绒服 (yǔ róng fú) - down jacket (common of puffer jackets and insulated winter coats)

Bottoms

裤子 (kù zi) - pants/trousers

牛仔裤 (niú zǎi kù) - jeans

短裤 (duǎn kù) - shorts

裙子 (qún zi) - skirt/dress

连衣裙 (lián yī qún) - dress

运动裤 (yùn dòng kù) - sweatpants

紧身裤 (jǐn shēn kù) - leggings

瑜伽裤 (yú jiā kù) - yoga pants

Accessories/undergarments

帽子 (mào zi) – hat

眼镜 (yǎn jìng) – glasses

项链 (xiàng liàn) - necklace

手套 (shǒu tào) - gloves

围巾 (wéi jīn) - scarf

袜子 (wà zi) - socks

胸罩 (xiōng zhào) - bra

内裤 (nèi kù) - underwear

Shoes

鞋 (xié) - shoes

运动鞋 (yùn dòng xié) - sneakers/athletic shoes

高跟鞋 (gāo gēn xié) - high heels

正装鞋 (zhèng zhuāng xié) - dress shoes

靴子 (xuē zi) - boots

人字拖 (rén zì tuō) - flip flops

凉鞋 (liáng xié) - sandals

拖鞋 (tuō xié) - slippers

Other

睡衣 (shuì yī) - pajamas

西装 (xī zhuāng) - suit

西服 (xī fú) - suit

制服 (zhì fú) - uniform

校服 (xiào fú) - school uniform

Here are a few ways you can use these words:

我很喜欢你的鞋！(wǒ hěn xǐ huān nǐ de xié) - I really like your shoes!

你的衬衫很好看！(nǐ de chèn shān hěn hǎo kàn) - Your shirt looks nice!

这是我新买的毛衣。(zhè shì wǒ xīn mǎi de máo yī) - This is the new sweater I bought.

我要去买帽子。(wǒ yào qù mǎi mào zi) - I am going to buy a hat.

他穿着黑色的裤子。(tā chuān zhe hēi sè de kù zi) - He's wearing black pants.

Note: When expressing "to wear" in Chinese, 穿 (chuān) is generally used when the article of clothing is something that's frequently used - for words like 衣服 (yī fu), pants 裤子 (kù zi), 衬衫 (chèn shān), 袜子 (wà zi), 裙子 (qún zi), 鞋 (xié), etc.

On the other hand, 戴 (dài) is used more for accessories, like 眼镜 (yǎn jìng) - glasses, 帽子 (mào zi) - hats, 手套 (shǒu tào) - gloves, 项链 (xiàng liàn) - necklaces, etc.