How to Write 橱 (chú) — Meaning “cabinet; cupboard”

Imagine a wooden (木) cabinet placed in the kitchen (厨) — that cabinet is a 橱 (chú). You can also think of the right part 厨 as having shelves like a tiny house inside for your dishes.

Write the left radical 木 first, then the right part 厨. In 厨, write 厂 (cliff), then 豆 (bean), then 寸 (inch); be careful to place the dot in 寸 correctly and make the right side slightly taller than the left. A common mistake is to make the two sides the same height or to forget the dot.

All three share the wood radical 木, but 橱 has 厨 (kitchen) on the right, relating to furniture like cupboards. 榕 has 容 (contain) and means a banyan tree, while 榍 has 屑 (bits) and is a rare character meaning a wedge. Their meanings are completely unrelated to cabinets.

橱 appears in everyday words like 橱柜 (cupboard), 衣橱 (wardrobe), and 书橱 (bookcase). It is used for any cabinet or closet, especially wooden furniture for storage. In Chinese homes, a 衣橱 is an essential bedroom item, and 橱窗 (shop window) also uses this character.

Common words containing 橱 include: 橱柜 (chú guì) — cupboard; cabinet; 衣橱 (yī chú) — Wardrobe / Closet; 书橱 (shū chú) — Bookcase.