7 Konglish Korean Clothing Terms — From Padding (패딩, paeding) to Hood-T (후드티, hudeu-ti)

💝 Lost in Translation? Konglish Korean Clothing Terms – Part 7: Everyday Fashion


Illustrated closet with folded clothes and text “Konglish Series: Korean Clothing Terms” — Korea Unfolded by Hangeulia

안녕하세요. I'm Hangeulia ^-^

Today we’re diving into everyday Konglish clothing words Koreans use.
When you shop or talk about fashion in Korea, you’ll notice lots of words that look like English but don’t actually exist in English the same way.
They’re Konglish — borrowed from English, but with new meanings created in Korean.
So when Koreans say “패딩 (paeding)” or “후드티 (hudeu-T)”, you won’t hear these exact terms abroad, but you’ll understand them instantly once you learn the “real” meaning.
Let’s see how Koreans actually use these words in daily life ^^ 👕🧣

By the end of this post, you’ll be able to understand Korean shopping conversations and describe clothes more naturally — without getting confused by Konglish. ^^



💜 Padding (paeding, 패딩)


Situation
Two friends talking about winter clothes.

Dialogue
A: 나는 겨울에 롱패딩 없으면 진짜 못 버텨.
(na-neun gyeo-ul-e long-paeding eop-seu-myeon jin-jja mot beo-tyeo)
B: 맞어. 진짜 필수템이야.
(ma-jeo. jin-jja pil-su-tem-i-ya)

Natural English
A: I can’t survive the winter without a long puffer jacket.
B: Right, it’s an absolute must-have.


💛 Story Note
In English, you’d say puffer jacket or down jacket — never “padding.”
But in Korea, 패딩 means any padded winter jacket, especially the famous 롱패딩 (long padded coat).
During winter, it’s basically a national uniform — black long padded coats everywhere! ❄️

  • 패딩 (paeding) = puffer jacket / down jacket


💜 Man-to-man (maen-tu-maen, 맨투맨)


Situation
Two friends shopping online.

Dialogue
A: 이 맨투맨 어디서 샀어?
(i maen-tu-maen eo-di-seo sat-seo?)
B: 쿠팡에서 득템했지!
(ku-pang-e-seo deuk-tem-haet-ji!)

Natural English
A: Where did you get this sweatshirt?
B: I grabbed it on Coupang!


💛 Story Note
Koreans use 맨투맨 for a simple crewneck sweatshirt.
In English, “man-to-man” sounds like basketball defense 😅, not fashion.
Also, it’s not “for men only” — women wear 맨투맨 all the time in Korea.

  • 맨투맨 (maen-tu-maen) = sweatshirt (crewneck)


💜 Hood-T (hudeu-ti, 후드티)


Situation
Two friends getting dressed.

Dialogue
A: 이 후드티 예쁘다.
(i hudeu-ti ye-ppeu-da)
B: 응, 이 반바지랑 입으니까 찰떡이네.
(eung, i ban-ba-ji-rang i-beu-ni-kka chal-tteok-i-ne)

Natural English
A: This hoodie looks nice.
B: Yeah, it matches perfectly with these shorts.


💛 Story Note
In Korea, a hoodie is often called 후드티 (“hood T”).
In English, you simply say hoodie.
If you say “hood T” abroad, people won’t understand — but in Korea, 후드티 is everywhere.

  • 후드티 (hudeu-ti) = hoodie


💜 Training set (Teu-re-i-ning se-teu, 트레이닝세트)


Situation
Two friends talking casually at home.

Dialogue
A: 이 트레이닝 세트 예쁘다.
(i teu-re-i-ning se-teu ye-ppeu-da)
B: 이거? 오빠꺼 빌렸어ㅎㅎ
(i-geo? oppa-kkeo bil-lyeot-seo hehe)

Natural English
A: This sweatsuit looks really nice.
B: Oh, this one? It’s my brother’s. Haha.


💛 Story Note
In Korea, 트레이닝 세트 means a matching sporty set (top + pants).
It’s not only for workouts — people wear it at home, to school, or as casual streetwear.
In English, the natural terms are sweatsuit or tracksuit.

  • 트레이닝 세트 (training set) = sweatsuit / tracksuit


💜 Knit (niteu, 니트)


Situation
Friends talking about new clothes.

Dialogue
A: 이번 주에 새 니트 샀어.
(i-beon ju-e sae niteu sat-seo)
B: 색깔이 예쁘다!
(saek-kkal-i ye-ppeu-da)

Natural English
A: I bought a new sweater this week.
B: The color is pretty!


💛 Story Note
Koreans use 니트 to mean a sweater.
But in English, “knit” usually means the fabric or the hobby (knitting).
So abroad, say sweater, not “knit.”

  • 니트 (niteu) = sweater (knit sweater)


💜 One-piece (won-pi-seu, 원피스)


Situation
Two friends talking about weekend plans.

Dialogue
A: 이번 주말에 결혼식 갈 때 뭐 입을 거야?
(i-beon ju-mal-e gyeol-hon-sik gal ttae mwo i-beul geo-ya?)
B: 새로 산 원피스 입으려고.
(sae-ro san won-pi-seu i-beu-ryeo-go)

Natural English
A: What are you going to wear to the wedding this weekend?
B: I’m planning to wear my new dress.


💛 Story Note
In Korea, 원피스 always means a dress.
In English, “one-piece” usually means a swimsuit 👙
So this is one of the biggest Konglish fashion traps: 원피스 = dress (≠ swimsuit).

  • 원피스 (won-pi-seu) = dress (≠ swimsuit)


💜 Muffler (meo-peul-leo, 머플러)


Situation
Two friends before heading outside in winter.

Dialogue
A: 추우니까 머플러 꼭 챙겨.
(chu-u-ni-kka meo-peul-leo kkok chaeng-gyeo)
B: 응, 진짜 목이 따뜻해야 덜 춥더라구.
(eung, jin-jja mok-i dda-ddeut-hae-ya deol chup-deo-ra-gu)

Natural English
A: Don’t forget your scarf, it’s freezing.
B: Yeah, keeping my neck warm makes it less cold.


💛 Story Note
In Korea, 머플러 means a winter scarf (also called 목도리).
But in English, “muffler” usually refers to a car part 🚗, not clothing.

  • 머플러 (meo-peul-leo) = winter scarf


💜 FAQ: Konglish Clothing Terms in Korea


Q1) Is “padding” really wrong English?
Yes. In English, padding means extra material, not a jacket.
For 겨울 패딩, say puffer jacket or down jacket.

Q2) Why do Koreans say “one-piece” for dresses?
In Korean fashion, 원피스 means a dress.
In English, “one-piece” usually means a swimsuit, so it can confuse people abroad.

Q3) Is a “man-to-man” only for men?
Nope! 맨투맨 just means a crewneck sweatshirt.
Women wear 맨투맨 just as often in Korea.

Q4) Muffler vs scarf — what’s the difference in Korea?
머플러 usually means a thick winter scarf, while 스카프 is used for lighter fashion scarves.

Q5) What about “jumper (점퍼)” in Korea?
Great one! Koreans often use 점퍼 for a casual outer jacket (especially a zip-up jacket).
In English, jumper can mean a sweater (UK) or a sleeveless dress (US), so it’s not the same.
If you mean 점퍼 in English, say jacket or zip-up jacket.

Q6) Can I use these Konglish words outside Korea?
Not really. These words work perfectly in Korea, but abroad it’s safer to switch to natural English terms.



💜 Quick Recap


Before wrapping things up, let’s do a quick recap of the Konglish clothing terms and their natural English meanings. ^^

  • 패딩 (paeding) = puffer jacket / down jacket
  • 맨투맨 (maen-tu-maen) = sweatshirt
  • 후드티 (hudeu-ti) = hoodie
  • 트레이닝 세트 (teu-re-i-ning se-teu) = sweatsuit / tracksuit
  • 니트 (niteu) = knit sweater
  • 원피스 (won-pi-seu) = dress (≠ swimsuit)
  • 머플러 (meo-peul-leo) = winter scarf


💜 Final Thoughts


That’s our Part 7 Konglish clothing set 👕🧥🧣
Now you know why “패딩” isn’t padding, why “원피스” isn’t a swimsuit, and why “머플러” has nothing to do with cars in English 😅
Next time you shop or chat about fashion in Korea, you’ll not only understand these words — you’ll know when to use them and when not to. ^^

With love,
한글리아 😊



Part 7 of the Konglish series — ← Previous: Part 6. 8 Konglish Korean Hairstyles & Haircuts for Men → Next: Part 8. 7 Konglish Korean Fashion Terms — From Crop-T (크롭티) to Stockings (스타킹)

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