件 jiàn — a measure word for thing; clothes; item
我有一件重要的事告诉你。Wǒ yǒu yí jiàn zhòng yào de shì gào su nǐ.I have an important thing to tell you.
Common words: 条件 (tiáo jiàn)、事件 (shì jiàn)、文件 (wén jiàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "clothes"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "clothes", including 件 (jiàn), 服 (fú), 衣 (yī / yì), 估 (gū / gù). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "clothes" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 件 (jiàn), 服 (fú), 衣 (yī / yì), 估 (gū / gù) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jiàn, fú, yī, yì, gū, gù — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 件 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 件 jiàna measure word for thing; clothes; itemUseful words: 条件, 事件
- 服 fúclothes; dress; garment; submit; take (medicine)Useful words: 衣服, 服务
- 衣 yī / yìclothes; gown; to dress; to wearUseful words: 衣服, 大衣
- 估 gū / gùestimate; old; second-hand (clothes)Useful words: 估计, 评估
Common words for these 4 "clothes" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 件 (jiàn) — so "clothes" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
条件tiáo jiàncondition; circumstance; term; factor事件shì jiànincident; event文件wén jiàndocument; file衣服yī fuclothes服务fú wùto serve; service舒服shū fucomfortable; feeling well衣服yī fuclothes大衣dà yīovercoat; topcoat; cloak洗衣机xǐ yī jīwashing machine; washer估计gū jìto estimate; to assess; to calculate; (coll.) to reckon
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "clothes".
服 fú — clothes; dress; garment; submit; take (medicine)
这件衣服很舒服。Zhè jiàn yī fu hěn shū fu.This piece of clothing is very comfortable.
Common words: 衣服 (yī fu)、服务 (fú wù)、舒服 (shū fu)
衣 yī / yì — clothes; gown; to dress; to wear
妈妈把洗好的衣服晾在阳台上。Mā ma bǎ xǐ hǎo de yī fu liàng zài yáng tái shàng.Mom hung the washed clothes on the balcony.
Common words: 衣服 (yī fu)、大衣 (dà yī)、洗衣机 (xǐ yī jī)
估 gū / gù — estimate; old; second-hand (clothes)
我估计他很快就会回来。Wǒ gū jì tā hěn kuài jiù huì huí lái.I estimate that he will be back soon.
Common words: 估计 (gū jì)、评估 (píng gū)、低估 (dī gū)
All 4 characters
Open 件、服、衣 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.