Tabi (足袋) are traditional Japanese socks. They reach up to the wearer's ankles and have a split between the big toe and the other toes, so they can be worn with zori, geta, and other Japanese footwear. Tabi are worn by both men and women.
Tabi are often paired with kimonos and other traditional Japanese clothing. Tabi are typically white in color and are worn for formal occasions such as a tea ceremony. Additionally, there are also black and blue tabi. These are worn by men during, for example, a journey. For women, there are colored tabi and tabi with patterns.
Unlike ordinary socks, tabi are not equipped with an elastic band to keep them in place. Instead, they are tied from the back like a shoe.
A variant of the tabi is the jika-tabi (地下足袋), which is mainly worn by construction workers, farmers, and gardeners. These are made of heavier and sturdier material and are intended to be worn without other footwear.