n.
clothes; clothing
衣服
clothes; clothing
Clothes and garments. The everyday catch-all term for what you wear on your body.
Common Usage & Traps
- 穿衣服 — to wear / put on clothes
- 买衣服 — to buy clothes
- 洗衣服 — to wash clothes
- 一件衣服 — one piece of clothing
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戴衣服穿衣服戴 is only for things that sit on top of you, like hats and glasses. Clothes that wrap your body take 穿.
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买了两衣服买了两件衣服The moment you put a number on 衣服, you must add a counting word: 两件衣服.
Why can you say 穿衣服 but never 戴衣服?
穿 is for anything that wraps your body; 戴 is for anything that sits on top of it.
English uses one word, wear, for everything you put on. Chinese splits that job between 穿 and 戴, and 衣服 only ever takes 穿. 穿 wraps around you: 穿衣服, 穿裤子, 穿鞋. 戴 sits on top of you: 戴帽子, 戴眼镜, 戴手表. So 戴衣服 makes people picture you hooking a shirt over your ears.
“我们有些人穿的衣服很少。” (Some of us were wearing very few clothes.)
“我们有些人穿的衣服很少。” (Some of us were wearing very few clothes.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Thing that wraps your body | 穿衣服、穿裤子 | 戴衣服 |
| Thing that sits on top | 戴帽子、戴眼镜 | 穿帽子 |
Do you have to say 一件衣服 every time, or can you just say 衣服?
Just 衣服. A number is only needed when you are actually counting items.
衣服 never needs a number in front of it. 买衣服 means buy clothes, and that is the normal way to say it. Add 件 only when the count really matters: 我买了一件衣服. English forces a piece of or a pair of onto everything, and learners drag that habit into Chinese. Drop the habit and your sentences instantly sound less translated.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Clothes in general | 我去买衣服 | 我去买一件衣服 (sounds like exactly one) |
| Number attached | 买了两件衣服 | 买了两衣服 |
Why does 衣服 sound like yīfu and not yīfú?
衣服 is yīfu, with a light, toneless second syllable.
衣服 is yīfu, and the 服 at the end is light and toneless. Stretch the yī with a clear first tone, then let 服 fall quick and flat. Read it as yīfú with a full rising tone and you sound like a dictionary recording.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Pace | yī is long, fu is short | Both syllables the same length |
| Tone | fu carries no tone | fú with a rising tone |
Appears in Stories 3 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
This simple story introduces you to a family and what each member likes to do. Learn helpful words for food and daily activities as you read about Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, and the kids.
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姐姐买 衣服 。
Read about a work trip to Beijing where a group of colleagues takes a very large airplane. Practice weather words and actions in a simple travel story.
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我们有些人穿的 衣服 很少。
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我找了一件 衣服 给他们。
This playful poem helps you count and practice vocabulary about clothes, students, and pets. Enjoy the rhythm while learning new words.
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一两件新 衣服 ，两三本汉语书。
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