Clothing in Different Languages
Discover 'Clothing' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Clothing is more than just a practical necessity; it's a cultural expression that speaks volumes about who we are and where we come from. From the elegant silk saris of India to the vibrant kente cloth of Ghana, clothing has the power to tell stories, evoke emotions, and bridge cultural divides. Understanding the translation of clothing in different languages can open up a world of cultural discovery and appreciation.
Did you know that the word 'clothing' has its roots in the Old English word 'clothian,' which means 'to cover or protect?' Or that in ancient Egypt, clothing was a symbol of social status, with pharaohs and nobility adorning themselves in fine linens and elaborate jewelry?
Whether you're a fashion enthusiast, a language learner, or a cultural explorer, knowing the translation of clothing in different languages can enrich your understanding of the world around you. Here are a few examples to get you started:
Clothing
Clothing in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | klere | ||
| The word 'klere' derives from the Dutch word 'kleren', which means 'clothes' or 'garments'. | |||
| Amharic | ልብስ | ||
| "ልብስ" can also mean "skin" or "body" in Amharic. | |||
| Hausa | tufafi | ||
| "Tufafi" also means "garments" or "attire" in Hausa. | |||
| Igbo | uwe | ||
| "Uwe" can also mean "character" or "nature" in Igbo, extending its implication beyond mere clothing to encompass personal qualities and inherent attributes. | |||
| Malagasy | fitafiana | ||
| The Malagasy word "FITAFIANA" is derived from the root word "TAFI", meaning "to tie". It refers to the traditional method of securing clothing by tying it around the body without using buttons or zippers. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zovala | ||
| The word "zovala" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also refer to the act of dressing or clothing oneself. | |||
| Shona | zvipfeko | ||
| The word "zvipfeko" also means "rags" or "torn clothing". | |||
| Somali | dharka | ||
| In certain parts of Somalia, ** | |||
| Sesotho | liaparo | ||
| The word "liaparo" also means "what is worn" in Sesotho. | |||
| Swahili | mavazi | ||
| The word "mavazi" also has figurative meanings, including "appearance" or "disguise." | |||
| Xhosa | impahla | ||
| The word "impahla" can also refer to a protective covering for a tree or fruit during winter. | |||
| Yoruba | aṣọ | ||
| The Yoruba word "aṣọ" is derived from the verb "ṣọ," meaning "to cover" or "to wrap". | |||
| Zulu | okokwembatha | ||
| The word "okokwembatha" in Zulu also refers to protective clothing or armour | |||
| Bambara | finiw don | ||
| Ewe | awudodo | ||
| Kinyarwanda | imyenda | ||
| Lingala | bilamba | ||
| Luganda | engoye | ||
| Sepedi | diaparo | ||
| Twi (Akan) | ntadehyɛ | ||
Clothing in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | ملابس | ||
| The word "ملابس" (clothing) in Arabic is derived from the root verb "لبس" (to wear). | |||
| Hebrew | הַלבָּשָׁה | ||
| The word הַלבָּשָׁה ('clothing') stems from the word 'to dress' (לבֹּשׁ) which is also related to the word לֵב ('heart') as the covering over the body (clothing) reflects that over the heart (chest). | |||
| Pashto | کالي | ||
| The Pashto word "کالي" also refers to a type of cotton or silk cloth. | |||
| Arabic | ملابس | ||
| The word "ملابس" (clothing) in Arabic is derived from the root verb "لبس" (to wear). | |||
Clothing in Western European Languages
| Albanian | veshje | ||
| The Albanian word "veshje" also refers to costumes worn during holidays or performances. | |||
| Basque | arropa | ||
| Arropa's alternative Basque form, 'arropagailu,' suggests a relationship between the word and items worn to provide warmth. | |||
| Catalan | roba | ||
| The Catalan word "roba" derives from the Latin "rapere", meaning "to seize" or "to snatch". | |||
| Croatian | odjeća | ||
| The Slavic root of "odjeća" also appears in other Slavic languages, for example, Russian одежда ("clothes") and Czech oděv ("clothing"). | |||
| Danish | tøj | ||
| In Swedish, "tøj" means "stuff" or "clutter", but this is just one of its meanings. | |||
| Dutch | kleding | ||
| The word "kleding" derives from the Middle Dutch "cleeden," meaning "to clothe" or "to cover." | |||
| English | clothing | ||
| The word 'clothing' derives from the Middle English word 'clothen', meaning 'to cover' or 'to clothe'. | |||
| French | vêtements | ||
| In French, the word 'vêtements' is derived from the Latin word 'vestimentum', meaning 'garment' or 'covering'. | |||
| Frisian | klaaiïng | ||
| The word 'klaaiïng' comes from the Proto-Germanic word 'klaðiz', which also meant 'cloth'. | |||
| Galician | roupa | ||
| The Galician word "roupa" not only means "clothing", but also "linen", "sheets", or "tablecloth" | |||
| German | kleidung | ||
| "Kleidung" can also refer to "equipment" or, specifically in the Middle Ages, to "attire" that symbolizes social status. | |||
| Icelandic | fatnað | ||
| The word "fatnað" also means "ornament", referring to its decorative function. | |||
| Irish | éadaí | ||
| The word 'éadaí' is also used to refer to a particular set of clothes worn by a person. | |||
| Italian | capi di abbigliamento | ||
| The word "capi di abbigliamento" literally means "heads of clothing" in Italian. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kleedung | ||
| The word "Kleedung" in Luxembourgish is derived from the Old High German word "kleidunga," meaning "garment" or "clothing." | |||
| Maltese | ilbies | ||
| The Maltese word "ilbies" (clothing) may have originated from the Arabic word "لباس" (libās). | |||
| Norwegian | klær | ||
| The word "klær" in Norwegian can also refer to the outfit worn by a doll or mannequin. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | roupas | ||
| The word "roupas" comes from "roupa", which originally meant "rags" in Spanish. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | aodach | ||
| "Aodach" also figuratively means "property", and the "right to dress or clothe oneself at home" | |||
| Spanish | ropa | ||
| "Ropa" derives from the Latin word "roupia," meaning "sackcloth garment" or "coarse fabric." | |||
| Swedish | kläder | ||
| The word “Kläder” originally meant 'rags' and then 'linen' before it took on its current meaning. | |||
| Welsh | dillad | ||
| The word "dillad" can also refer to sheets or bedding, and is etymologically related to the Latin word "tunica" meaning "dress". | |||
Clothing in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | адзенне | ||
| Its alternative meaning is "cloth from which clothes are sewn" | |||
| Bosnian | odjeću | ||
| The word "odjeću" shares the same root with "odjesti" which means "to put on" or "to wear". | |||
| Bulgarian | облекло | ||
| The word "облекло" can also refer to a covering or something that hides or conceals. | |||
| Czech | oblečení | ||
| In Old Church Slavonic, oblačenъ is derived from the root ob- with the basic meaning “around, on something,” in the sense to “surround.” | |||
| Estonian | riietus | ||
| The word "riietus" may also refer to a specific type of clothing, such as a suit or dress. | |||
| Finnish | vaatetus | ||
| The Estonian word "vaartus" (value) comes from the same Proto-Finnic root as "vaatetus" | |||
| Hungarian | ruházat | ||
| The word "ruházat" is derived from the Hungarian verb "ruház", meaning "to clothe" or "to put on clothes". It can also refer to a person's wardrobe or collection of clothes. | |||
| Latvian | apģērbs | ||
| The word "apģērbs" is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₃eǵʰ-, meaning "to cover" or "to protect". It is cognate with the English word "garb" and the German word "Gewand". | |||
| Lithuanian | apranga | ||
| The word "apranga" can also refer to a "set of clothes" or a "costume". | |||
| Macedonian | облека | ||
| The original meaning of the word "облека" in Macedonian is "apparel" or "garments". | |||
| Polish | odzież | ||
| The word 'odzież' originates from the Proto-Slavic word *oděti, which also means 'to dress' or 'to wear'. | |||
| Romanian | îmbrăcăminte | ||
| Its etymology traces back to the Proto-Indo-European word *werg- meaning "to wrap." | |||
| Russian | одежда | ||
| "Одежда" is derived from Proto-Slavic "*oditi", meaning both "to dress" and "to put to shame". | |||
| Serbian | одећу | ||
| The Serbian word "одећу" derives from the Proto-Slavic word "*оdъva" and shares its root with the words for "to wear" and "to put on" in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Slovak | oblečenie | ||
| The Slavic root of "oblečenie" also denotes a cloud cover and an envelope. | |||
| Slovenian | oblačila | ||
| The word "oblačila" comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*oblêkti", meaning "to clothe" or "to dress". | |||
| Ukrainian | одяг | ||
| "Одяг" (clothing) comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*oděti" meaning "to put on". | |||
Clothing in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | পোশাক | ||
| The word "পোশাক" also means "attire, dress, costume, outfit" and comes from the Sanskrit word "वसाः" (vasas) meaning "clothing, attire" | |||
| Gujarati | કપડાં | ||
| The word 'કપડાં' originates from the Sanskrit word 'कपट' ('kapata'), which means 'cover' or 'covering' | |||
| Hindi | कपड़े | ||
| "कपड़े" (Hindi) is derived from the Sanskrit word "कपाटः" (kapāṭaḥ), which means "door" or "window covering." | |||
| Kannada | ಬಟ್ಟೆ | ||
| The word "ಬಟ್ಟೆ" can also refer to a piece of cloth used for wiping or cleaning. | |||
| Malayalam | ഉടുപ്പു | ||
| In Malayalam, the term "ഉടുപ്പു" means more than just clothing; it encompasses the notion of social status, cultural identity, and personal expression. | |||
| Marathi | कपडे | ||
| कपडे is derived from Sanskrit 'कपाट', which originally meant 'an article of dress' | |||
| Nepali | लुगा | ||
| "लुगा" also refers to the cloth used for wrapping a wound, likely due to its shared root with "लोग्ने," meaning "to cover or hide." | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਪੜੇ | ||
| "Kapre" can also refer to a dress or costume in a play. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ඇඳුම් | ||
| The word "ඇඳුම්" ("clothing") in Sinhala (Sinhalese) is derived from the verb "ඇඳ (äṇḍa)" meaning "to wear". | |||
| Tamil | ஆடை | ||
| The Tamil word 'ஆடை' originally meant 'skin', 'peel', or 'bark' before it came to mean 'clothing'. | |||
| Telugu | దుస్తులు | ||
| The term "దుస్తులు" in Telugu also refers to a specific type of attire worn for special occasions or traditional festivals. | |||
| Urdu | لباس | ||
| The word "لباس" in Urdu can also refer to one's character or personality. | |||
Clothing in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 服装 | ||
| The '服' in '服装' means 'to obey or conform', while '装' means 'to dress' or 'to make an appearance', and '服' can also be a verb meaning to take medicine | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 服裝 | ||
| 服裝 shares an etymology with "submit" (服) and "uniform" (服) and denotes the outward expression of group identity. | |||
| Japanese | 衣類 | ||
| The word '衣類', meaning 'clothing' in Japanese, comes from the root '衣' which originally meant 'clothing material' | |||
| Korean | 의류 | ||
| The word 의류 is derived from the Chinese characters 衣 (의) meaning 'clothing' and 類 (류) meaning 'kind' or 'type', and it refers to different types of clothing. | |||
| Mongolian | хувцас | ||
| "Хувцас" means "clothes" but it was also a term that was applied to various items such as tents made of animal hides as well as a garment used to cover both the head and the upper body of the wearer during cold winter months and windy autumn days. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | အဝတ်အစား | ||
| In Burmese, the compound word “အဝတ်အစား” (pronounced uh-waht-uh-sah) also means “food and drink” in the context of feeding spirits during a religious ceremony. | |||
Clothing in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | pakaian | ||
| "Pakaian" is also commonly used in certain regions of Indonesia to mean "umbrella" or "hat." | |||
| Javanese | klambi | ||
| "Klambi" also means "skin" or "fur" in Javanese. | |||
| Khmer | សម្លៀកបំពាក់ | ||
| Lao | ເຄື່ອງນຸ່ງຫົ່ມ | ||
| Malay | pakaian | ||
| "Pakaian" also means "dress" in Old Javanese and "to clothe" in Toba Batak. | |||
| Thai | เสื้อผ้า | ||
| **เสื้อผ้า** means both "clothing" and "fabrics" in Thai, though "fabrics" is more commonly rendered as ผ้า (paa). | |||
| Vietnamese | quần áo | ||
| The word "quần áo" derives from two words, "quần" meaning "trousers" and "áo" meaning "shirt" | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | damit | ||
Clothing in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | geyim | ||
| Although it is usually spelled "geyim," the word can also be spelled "keyim," in which case it means "mood," "state of mind," or "feeling." | |||
| Kazakh | киім | ||
| The word "киім" is derived from the Old Turkic word "kay", meaning "skin" or "hide". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кийим | ||
| The word "кийим" can also refer to "attire" or "garment" in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | либос | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "либос" also means "costume". | |||
| Turkmen | eşik | ||
| Uzbek | kiyim-kechak | ||
| The word "kiyim-kechak" in Uzbek can also refer to "dress-code" and "apparel". | |||
| Uyghur | كىيىم | ||
Clothing in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | lole | ||
| The Hawaiian word "lole" is derived from the Proto-Polynesian word *fole, meaning "to wear" or "to cover." | |||
| Maori | kakahu | ||
| The word 'kakahu' in Maori can refer to any type of clothing, whether it is traditional or modern, and can also be used figuratively to refer to someone's appearance or character. | |||
| Samoan | lavalava | ||
| The word 'lavalava' also refers to the rustling sound made by the fabric when someone walks. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | damit | ||
| The Tagalog word "damit" also means "to dress" or "to wear". | |||
Clothing in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | isi luraña | ||
| Guarani | ao rehegua | ||
Clothing in International Languages
| Esperanto | vestaĵoj | ||
| The Esperanto word "vestaĵoj" is derived from the Latin word "vestis" (garment), and its plural form is used to refer to clothing in general. | |||
| Latin | indumentis | ||
| Indumentis is also Latin for "belongings, goods, materials," and is related to the word "instrumentum," or "tool," in Latin. | |||
Clothing in Others Languages
| Greek | είδη ένδυσης | ||
| Etymology: "είδη" (kind, variety) + "ένδυσης" (clothing). Alternate meanings: "fashion items", "articles of clothing", "garments", "attire". | |||
| Hmong | khaub ncaws | ||
| The word "khaub ncaws" in Hmong literally means "that which covers the body". | |||
| Kurdish | lebas | ||
| The word "lebas" comes from the Arabic word "libās" meaning "a garment, clothing" and is also used in Persian and Urdu with the same meaning. | |||
| Turkish | giyim | ||
| The word "Giyim" is derived from the Old Turkish word "Kiyi", meaning "to cover" or "to adorn." | |||
| Xhosa | impahla | ||
| The word "impahla" can also refer to a protective covering for a tree or fruit during winter. | |||
| Yiddish | קליידער | ||
| The Yiddish word "קליידער" (clothing) is derived from the German word "Kleider" (clothes). | |||
| Zulu | okokwembatha | ||
| The word "okokwembatha" in Zulu also refers to protective clothing or armour | |||
| Assamese | কাপোৰ | ||
| Aymara | isi luraña | ||
| Bhojpuri | कपड़ा के कपड़ा-लत्ता | ||
| Dhivehi | ހެދުން އެޅުމެވެ | ||
| Dogri | कपड़े | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | damit | ||
| Guarani | ao rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | kawes | ||
| Krio | klos fɔ wɛr | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | جل و بەرگ | ||
| Maithili | वस्त्र | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯄꯣꯠꯂꯃꯁꯤꯡ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | thawmhnaw inbel | ||
| Oromo | uffata | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ପୋଷାକ | ||
| Quechua | pacha | ||
| Sanskrit | वस्त्रम् | ||
| Tatar | кием | ||
| Tigrinya | ክዳውንቲ | ||
| Tsonga | swiambalo | ||