Maybe I'm just being cranky but I get really annoyed when people confuse hanfu for kimono. It's an annoying trend that everything remotely Asian = Japan.
ngl I get annoyed sometimes too, “kimono” is used to describe any east-asian-looking robe thing even though it’s a pretty specific type of garment. Like I kinda hrmmm-ed at this scene in ATLA…
But people don’t usually mistake hanfu for kimono out of malice or racism, but just due to lack of exposure. So I’m gonna use your ask as an opportunity to give some quick n easy tips for how to tell kimono and hanfu apart. and hanbok while we’re at it (which is Korean for those who don’t know).
You can usually tell the difference from silhouette alone. To put it simply, kimono - rectangle, hanfu - triangle, hanbok - like a half oval-ish.
The obi, that wide, stiff sash, is also a distinct characteristic of kimono. I sometimes see people mistake hanfu for hanbok because some styles of hanfu also have high waistlines, so look at the skirt instead. Hanbok skirts can be triangular/A-lined too, but there’s still a sorta poofiness to it. There are different variations of these garments, but those are the basics.
Another factor that complicates matters is that there are many different styles of hanfu, some of which look closer to kimono or hanbok than others. For example, cross-collar one-piece hanfu styles like quju and zhiju look more similar to standard kimono, cross-collar waist-high ruqun looks more similar to hakama, and chest-high ruqun and aoqun look more similar to hanbok.
Nevertheless, there are certainly ways in which you can differentiate the three. The silhouette is one way, as demonstrated by offishwhite’s image and another comparison below (via). It’s crude, but it depicts the general differences - kimono (left) is tubular/rectangular in shape and overall more “geometric” looking with very straight lines, hanfu (center) has a more “curvy” silhouette with a more A-line shaped lower half, and hanbok (right) is bell-shaped:
There are also very subtle differences in the shapes of the cross-collars (via) - left - hanfu, center - kimono, right - hanbok:
Other visual clues to differentiate hanfu and kimono include: hanfu sash is typically tied in front while kimono obi is typically tied in back, kimono obi is much wider, thicker, and stiffer than hanfu sash, kimono sleeves are more rectangular while hanfu sleeves are more curved, kimono sleeves are open in the back while hanfu sleeves are closed in the back, hanfu sleeves have more variety in shapes and lengths, etc…….
You can also look for context clues, such as makeup, hairstyles, and accessories. If you see huadian (forehead decoration), pibo (long scarf worn about the shoulders and arms), and/or tuanshan (rigid round fan), you can make a relatively safe assumption that it’s hanfu.
But the most effective way to learn to tell the difference is definitely exposure. The more you look, the easier it will be to tell the difference, even if you don’t know the technical details ^^
