(wài tào) - coat, jacket, outer garment in Mandarin
wàitàoTraditional: 外套
Translation
coat, jacket, outer garment
Word origin
A compound of 外 (wài, outer, outside) and 套 (tào, a cover or sheath), so the garment that covers the rest.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 外 (wài, outer) + 套 (tào, cover)
Stroke order
外
套
Examples
，。
It is cold outside, put your coat on.
。
I left my coat at the office.
。
This coat is too big.
。
She took off her coat and sat down.
？
What colour coat do you want to buy?
外套 (wài tào) is the coat or jacket you put on over everything else. It is a broad word: a winter overcoat, a light jacket and a suit jacket can all be 外套, because what defines it is being the outer layer rather than its weight or cut.
The measure word is 件 (jiàn), like most upper-body clothing: 一件外套. It pairs with 穿 (chuān) to put on and 脱 (tuō) to take off.
The trap is the verb rather than the noun. English says wear a coat and put a coat on with the same word; Mandarin splits them, and 穿着外套 (wearing one) is a different claim from 穿上外套 (putting one on). Get 上 in there when you mean the action, or you will be describing a state when you meant to give an instruction.
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外套: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "外套" (coat, jacket, outer garment): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 49.