圍巾 / 围巾
wéijīn
The Chinese for scarf is 圍巾 / 围巾 (wéijīn). If unsure, use 圍巾 / 围巾. Wiktionary also lists 領巾 / 领巾 (lǐngjīn) and 圍脖兒 / 围脖儿 (wéibór).
Meaning: long garment worn around the neck (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 圍巾 / 围巾 | wéijīn | |
| 領巾 / 领巾 | lǐngjīn | |
| 圍脖兒 / 围脖儿 | wéibór | colloquial |
What does it mean word for word?
圍 means to wrap around and 巾 means a piece of cloth.
Which one should you use?
領巾 / 领巾 is a neckerchief, a small scarf tied at the neck. 圍脖兒 / 围脖儿 is a colloquial word for a scarf.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
圍脖兒 / 围脖儿 is colloquial, while 圍巾 / 围巾 suits any situation.
How do you pronounce it?
In pinyin it is wéijīn, with a second tone on the first syllable and a first tone on the second.
Did you know?
- The famous Chinese social media platform Weibo is written as 微博, but it is a homophone for 圍脖 / 围脖 (scarf). This led to early puns and branding jokes about the site 'wrapping' people together.
- While 圍巾 / 围巾 is the standard term, the more colloquial 圍脖兒 / 围脖儿 literally translates to 'wrap neck'. The addition of the suffix 兒 /er gives it a distinctively northern, Beijing-style flavor.
- In traditional Chinese opera, the length and color of a 領巾 / 领巾 or similar neck garment can signal a character's social rank or emotional state to the audience.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “scarf” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
