Brazilian Portuguese Clothes Vocabulary: Clothing Words for Daily Life, Shopping, Kids, and Weather

Introduction

Learning Brazilian Portuguese clothes vocabulary is very useful for everyday conversations, shopping, travel, and describing what someone is wearing. Clothes vocabulary also helps you talk about weather, seasons, formal events, children’s clothing, and personal style.

Some Portuguese textbooks use words from Portugal, so this guide adapts the vocabulary to natural Brazilian Portuguese when needed. For example, in Portugal people may say fato for “suit,” but in Brazil we usually say terno. In Portugal, calças de ganga means “jeans,” but in Brazil we say calça jeans or simply jeans.

Basic Clothes Vocabulary in Brazilian Portuguese

Here are some of the most common clothing words in Brazilian Portuguese.

Portuguese	English
a roupa	clothes / clothing
a camiseta	T-shirt
a camisa	shirt
a blusa	blouse / top
o suéter	sweater
o casaco	coat / jacket
a jaqueta	jacket
o blazer	blazer
a calça	pants
a calça jeans / o jeans	jeans
a saia	skirt
o vestido	dress
o vestido de noite	evening dress
o shorts / a bermuda	shorts
o colete	vest
o cinto	belt
a gravata	tie
o botão	button
o bolso	pocket

In Brazil, calça is normally singular when talking about one pair of pants. So, instead of saying as calças all the time, Brazilians usually say a calça.

Clothes for Men in Brazilian Portuguese

When talking about men’s clothing, some useful words are:

Portuguese	English
o terno	business suit
o paletó	suit jacket
a camisa social	dress shirt
a gravata	tie
o cinto	belt
os sapatos sociais	dress shoes
a camiseta	T-shirt
a regata	tank top
a cueca	briefs / underwear
a cueca boxer	boxer shorts
as meias	socks

A common sentence is:

Ele está usando um terno preto.
He is wearing a black suit.

In Brazil, terno is much more common than fato, which is used in European Portuguese.

Clothes for Women in Brazilian Portuguese

For women’s clothing, these are helpful words:

Portuguese	English
a blusa	blouse / top
a saia	skirt
o vestido	dress
o vestido de noite	evening dress
o vestido sem alças	strapless dress
o vestido sem mangas	sleeveless dress
o casaco	jacket / coat
o salto alto	high heels
os sapatos	shoes
a meia-calça	pantyhose / tights

Examples:

Ela está usando uma saia preta e uma blusa branca.
She is wearing a black skirt and a white blouse.

Esse vestido é sem mangas.
This dress is sleeveless.

Casual Clothes in Brazilian Portuguese

Casual clothes are very common in daily conversation. In Brazil, you will hear these words often:

Portuguese	English
a roupa casual	casual clothes
a roupa informal	casual wear
a camiseta	T-shirt
o jeans	jeans
a calça jeans	jeans
o moletom	sweatshirt / sweatpants fabric
o agasalho	tracksuit / warm casual outfit
o tênis	sneakers / athletic shoes
a legging	leggings

In Portugal, sapatilhas can mean athletic shoes, but in Brazil we usually say tênis.

Example:

Eu uso tênis todos os dias.
I wear sneakers every day.

Winter and Rain Clothes in Brazilian Portuguese

Brazil has different climates depending on the region, but winter and rain vocabulary is still useful.

Portuguese	English
o inverno	winter
o outono	fall / autumn
o casaco	coat
a jaqueta	jacket
o cachecol	scarf
as botas	boots
as galochas	rain boots
a capa de chuva	raincoat
o impermeável	raincoat / waterproof coat
o moletom	sweatshirt
a roupa de frio	warm clothes

In Brazil, capa de chuva is more natural than gabardina for “raincoat.” The word gabardine exists, but it is more related to fabric or a specific coat style, not the everyday word for raincoat.

Example:

Está chovendo. Vou usar uma capa de chuva.
It is raining. I am going to wear a raincoat.

Summer Clothes in Brazilian Portuguese

For hot weather and summer, these words are useful:

Portuguese	English
o verão	summer
a sandália	sandal
os shorts	shorts
a bermuda	shorts
a camiseta	T-shirt
o vestido leve	light dress
o chapéu	hat
a roupa leve	light clothing

Example:

No verão, eu gosto de usar shorts e sandálias.
In the summer, I like to wear shorts and sandals.

Children’s Clothing in Brazilian Portuguese

Children’s clothing has some specific vocabulary. Here are common Brazilian Portuguese words:

Portuguese	English
a criança	child
o bebê / a bebê	baby
a criança pequena	toddler
a roupa de criança	children’s clothing
o body	bodysuit
o macacão de bebê	onesie / baby outfit
o pijama	sleeper / pajamas
o babador	bib
a fralda	diaper
a fralda descartável	disposable diaper
a fralda de pano	cloth diaper
as luvas	mittens / gloves
as botinhas	booties
o chapéu	hat
o short / os shorts	shorts
a jardineira	overalls

In Brazilian Portuguese, babador is more common than babete for “bib.” Also, macacão de bebê is more natural than babygrow.

Example:

O bebê está usando um body amarelo.
The baby is wearing a yellow bodysuit.

Sleepwear and Home Clothing

These words are useful when talking about clothes used at home or before sleeping.

Portuguese	English
o pijama	pajamas
a camisola	nightgown
a roupa de dormir	sleepwear
o roupão	bathrobe / robe
as pantufas	slippers

Important note: in Brazil, camisola usually means “nightgown.” In Portugal, camisola can mean “sweater” or “shirt,” depending on the context. For Brazilian Portuguese learners, use suéter, blusa de frio, or moletom for “sweater.”

Wedding Clothes Vocabulary

Wedding vocabulary is useful for special occasions.

Portuguese	English
o casamento	wedding
o vestido de noiva	wedding dress
o véu	veil
o buquê / o ramo de flores	bouquet
o terno	suit
a gravata	tie
os sapatos sociais	dress shoes
o vestido de festa	formal dress / party dress

In Brazil, buquê is very common for “bouquet,” especially in weddings.

Example:

A noiva está usando um vestido branco.
The bride is wearing a white dress.

Underwear and Lingerie Vocabulary

Some basic clothing vocabulary includes underwear and lingerie. These words are useful for shopping and describing clothing categories.

Portuguese	English
a roupa íntima	underwear
a lingerie	lingerie
o sutiã	bra
a calcinha	panties
a cueca	men’s underwear
a meia	stocking / sock
a meia-calça	pantyhose / tights
a camisola	nightgown
o roupão	robe

In Brazil, calcinha is more common than cuecas when referring to women’s underwear. Cueca is normally used for men’s underwear.

Parts of Clothes in Brazilian Portuguese

Knowing the parts of clothes helps you describe details when shopping or tailoring clothes.

Portuguese	English
a gola	collar
a manga	sleeve
o punho	cuff
o botão	button
a casa do botão	buttonhole
o bolso	pocket
o forro	lining
a costura	seam
a bainha	hem
a lapela	lapel
a alça	strap
o decote em V	V-neck
a gola redonda	crew neck
a cintura	waistband / waist

Example:

Essa camisa tem gola redonda.
This shirt has a crew neck.

Useful Shopping Phrases in Brazilian Portuguese

When shopping for clothes in Brazil, these phrases are very helpful.

Asking for a Size

Tem um tamanho maior?
Do you have a larger size?

Tem um tamanho menor?
Do you have a smaller size?

Você tem tamanho médio?
Do you have medium size?

Trying Clothes On

Posso experimentar?
May I try it on?

Onde fica o provador?
Where is the fitting room?

Asking About Fit

Ficou bom?
Does it fit well?

Está apertado.
It is tight.

Está largo.
It is loose.

Ficou comprido.
It is long.

Ficou curto.
It is short.

Asking About Fabric and Care

É de fibra natural?
Is it made of natural fiber?

É sintético?
Is it synthetic?

Pode lavar na máquina?
Is it machine washable?

Common European Portuguese Words and Brazilian Portuguese Alternatives

Some words from the pictures are more common in Portugal. Here are better Brazilian Portuguese alternatives.

European Portuguese	Brazilian Portuguese	English
o fato	o terno	suit
as calças	a calça	pants
as calças de ganga	a calça jeans / o jeans	jeans
as sapatilhas	o tênis	sneakers
o babete	o babador	bib
a gabardina	a capa de chuva / o trench coat	raincoat / trench coat
a camisola de lã	o suéter / a blusa de frio	sweater
o fato de treino	o agasalho / conjunto de moletom	tracksuit
os calcões	o short / os shorts / a bermuda	shorts
o ramo de flores	o buquê	bouquet

Example Sentences with Clothes Vocabulary

Eu estou usando uma camiseta azul e uma calça jeans.
I am wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans.

Ela comprou um vestido novo para o casamento.
She bought a new dress for the wedding.

Meu filho precisa de um casaco para o inverno.
My son needs a coat for the winter.

Esse tênis é confortável.
These sneakers are comfortable.

Você tem essa camisa em outro tamanho?
Do you have this shirt in another size?

A roupa é de fibra natural ou sintética?
Is the clothing made of natural or synthetic fiber?

Conclusion

Learning Brazilian Portuguese clothes vocabulary helps you describe outfits, shop with confidence, talk about seasons, and understand everyday conversations in Brazil. The most important tip is to focus on the words Brazilians actually use, such as terno, calça jeans, tênis, babador, suéter, and capa de chuva.

By practicing these clothing words with real sentences, you will sound more natural and communicate more easily in Brazilian Portuguese.