How to Write 舱 (cāng) — Meaning “cabin / hold (of a ship or plane)”

Picture a small boat (舟) carrying a storage room (仓) shaped like a tiny house with a roof. The 仓 part looks like a lid covering a box, reminding you that a cabin is an enclosed space inside a vehicle.

Write 舟 on the left with its 6 strokes, making sure the bottom hook is clear, then add 仓 on the right. A common mistake is to make the top of 仓 too flat — remember it starts with a slanted stroke like a person (人) followed by a horizontal fold and a square mouth below.

舱 specifically means an enclosed compartment (cabin or hold) on a ship or plane, while 舡 is an old variant of 船 (boat) and 舢 refers to a small wooden sampan boat. Visually, 舱 has the extra 仓 component, whereas 舡 and 舢 do not.

舱 appears in common travel terms like 船舱 (ship cabin), 机舱 (aircraft cabin), and 客舱 (passenger cabin on a plane or ship). It is not in HSK lists but is useful for travelers and people working in transportation — for example, Chinese flight attendants often announce "请回到您的座位并系好安全带" (please return to your seat and fasten your seatbelt) referring to the 机舱.

Common words containing 舱 include: 船舱 (chuán cāng) — Cabin; ship's hold; 机舱 (jī cāng) — cabin (of an aircraft); 客舱 (kè cāng) — Cabin (of a plane or ship)..