Frog (fastening)

A frog (simplified Chinese: 盘扣; traditional Chinese: 盤扣; pinyin: pánkòu, also called huaniu (Chinese: 花纽; pinyin: Huāniǔ; lit. 'flower buttons') or panhuaniu (Chinese: 盘花纽) in China, or frog knots, frogs,[1]^: 40[2]^: 253 Chinese frog closures and decorative toggles in English[3][4][5]) is a type of ornamental braiding closure made out of cord, consisting of a button (oftentimes a Chinese button knot for a traditional oriental style[6]^: 76) and a loop; it is used to fasten garments without creating an overlap.[1]^: 40 Its purpose is to act as a fastener as well as providing a decorative closure for the garment.[1]^: 40 It is especially used on the cheongsam, where the frog represents the cultural essence of the dress.[7]

Quick facts: Type, Material, Place of origin, Introduced... ▼

Pankou (Frog)

Type	Fastening made of fabric
Material	Diverse, including silk
Place of origin	At least the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD), China
Introduced	Asia, Europe, and North America

Quick facts: Pankou, Chinese name, Traditional Chines... ▼

Pankou
Floral pankou, typically used on cheongsam, China
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	盘扣
Simplified Chinese	盤扣
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Pánkòu
Huaniu
Chinese	花纽
Literal meaning	Flower buttons
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Huāniǔ
Panhuaniu
Chinese	盘花纽
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Pánhuāniǔ
English name
English	Frogs/ Frog closures/ Frogging/ Decorative toggles

The frog originated from China and later spread beyond it.[6]^: 76 Western military uniforms adopted the decorative fastener, which then began to appear on the civilian clothes of both genders, such as overcoats, spencers, and pelisses.[1]^: 40

Frog fasteners are usual to garments of Asian design, such as a shirt or coat with a mandarin collar, which features frog fasteners at the shoulder and down the front of the garment. In the design of a garment, frogging is the use of braided, frog fasteners is a detail of the overall design of the garment.[2]^: 253