洋服 vs 服
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
服 just means clothes, and it is the word to use almost all the time. 洋服 specifically means Western-style clothes as opposed to 和服 or 着物, so it only earns its keep when that contrast is actually in play — which, in modern daily life, is rarely.
When to use each
洋服
ようふく
Use 洋服 when the Western-versus-Japanese contrast matters — at a ceremony where some guests wear 着物, or in talk about traditional dress. It also survives in the shop name 洋服屋, and older speakers use it loosely for clothes in general.
式には着物ではなく洋服で行きます。
しきにはきものではなくようふくでいきます。
I'll go to the ceremony in Western dress rather than a kimono.
祖母は洋服より着物のほうが好きです。
そぼはようふくよりきもののほうがすきです。
My grandmother prefers kimono to Western clothes.
服
ふく
Use 服 for clothes in any ordinary sentence — buying them, washing them, choosing what to wear. Unless you are drawing a contrast with traditional dress, this is the word.
新しい服を買いに行きます。
あたらしいふくをかいにいきます。
I'm going to buy some new clothes.
服が汚れてしまいました。
ふくがよごれてしまいました。
My clothes got dirty.
Sentences where only one works
明日はどんな服を着ますか。
あしたはどんなふくをきますか。
What are you going to wear tomorrow?
Everyday question with no traditional-dress contrast, so plain 服.
成人式では着物か洋服かを選びます。
せいじんしきではきものかようふくかをえらびます。
At the coming-of-age ceremony you choose between kimono and Western dress.
The contrast is explicit, which is exactly when 洋服 is needed.
服を洗濯しました。
ふくをせんたくしました。
I did the laundry.
Routine household sentence; 洋服 would add a distinction nobody is making.
昔は洋服が珍しかったそうです。
むかしはようふくがめずらしかったそうです。
Apparently Western clothes were rare in the past.
A historical statement about Western dress arriving in Japan — 服 would lose the point.
Common mistakes
毎日洋服を着ます。
毎日服を着ます。
Technically true, but pointing out that your daily outfit is Western-style is information nobody asked for. Plain 服 is what a native speaker says.
着物も洋服の一つです。
着物も服の一つです。
洋服 excludes 着物 by definition; the general category is 服.
Frequently asked questions
Do Japanese people still say 洋服 a lot?
Less than they used to. It survives in 洋服屋 and in older speakers' everyday use, but younger speakers mostly say 服 unless kimono is in the picture.
What is the opposite of 洋服?
和服, Japanese-style clothing, of which 着物 is the best-known form. That pairing is the whole reason 洋服 exists as a separate word.
Is 衣服 different again?
Yes — 衣服 is the formal written term for clothing, seen in documents and on signs. It is neutral about style, like 服, but far stiffer in tone.