เสื้อผ้า
clothes
A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.
- 1 clothes、clothing
This everyday word refers collectively to the clothes people wear, rather than to one particular type of garment.
clothes、clothing
It collectively covers garments such as shirts, pants, and skirts.
Learning notes
Explanation
เสื้อผ้า is formed from เสื้อ, a shirt or upper-body garment, and ผ้า, cloth. As a whole, however, it means clothing in general and includes items such as pants and skirts. Common combinations include ใส่เสื้อผ้า “put on clothes,” ถอดเสื้อผ้า “take off clothes,” เปลี่ยนเสื้อผ้า “change clothes,” and ซักเสื้อผ้า “wash clothes.” ชุด can be used when counting complete outfits or sets of clothes, as in เสื้อผ้าสองชุด, “two outfits.” Individual garments may take different classifiers depending on their type.
Usage
It is widely used in everyday situations involving shopping for clothes, getting dressed, doing laundry, packing for a trip, or organizing a wardrobe. It also appears in clothing categories such as children's clothes and secondhand clothes.
Caution
เสื้อ usually refers to a shirt or another upper-body garment, while เสื้อผ้า covers clothing in general. ผ้า by itself normally means cloth or fabric. When referring to a particular garment, use its specific name, such as เสื้อ “shirt,” กางเกง “pants,” or กระโปรง “skirt.”