外套(がいとう)

がいとう
noun
overcoat; cloak; outer garment
formalclothing
1. overcoat; cloak; topcoat; outer garment
A heavy outer garment worn over other clothing for warmth. A somewhat literary or old-fashioned word, now largely replaced by コート in everyday speech.
外套(がいとう)を羽織(はお)る。
To throw on an overcoat.
寒(さむ)さに耐(た)えかねて外套(がいとう)の襟(えり)を立(た)てた。
Unable to bear the cold, he turned up the collar of his overcoat.
玄関(げんかん)に掛(か)けてあった黒(くろ)い外套(がいとう)を手(て)に取(と)り、夜(よる)の街(まち)へ出(で)た。
He picked up the black overcoat hanging in the entryway and went out into the night streets.

A literary compound of 外(がい) (outer) + 套(とう) (covering/sheath). More commonly encountered in literature, period dramas, and historical writing than in everyday conversation.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • コート: coat — the standard modern word for coats and overcoats
  • オーバー: overcoat — older loanword (from 'overcoat'), still used by older speakers
  • マント: mantle, cape — a cloak-style outer garment

Literary note

外套(がいとう) is the Japanese title of Gogol's famous short story "The Overcoat." The word evokes a literary, atmospheric quality.

Related Words

Compare: コート (coat)
Compare: オーバー (overcoat)
Compare: マント (mantle, cape)
general
Added 2026.4.9 2:30 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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