How to Write 箱 (xiāng) — Meaning “box/chest”

Imagine a bamboo basket (⺮) where two people (相, which looks like two eyes or faces) are looking at each other while storing items inside. This picture helps you recall that 箱 means a box or trunk.

The bamboo radical on top should be written with two short horizontal strokes for each "个" shape, not as a solid block. Also, the left side of 相 (the 木 part) has a vertical stroke that goes straight down, and students often make it too short or crooked.

箱 means "box" or "suitcase" and uses the bamboo radical because early containers were bamboo. 筹 (chóu) means "chip" or "prepare" and has a different bottom component (夀), used for counting tokens. 签 (qiān) means "sign" or "label" and has a bamboo top with a different bottom (㑒), often for slips of bamboo used as tickets.

You see 箱 in everyday words like 箱子 (xiāng zi, box/case), 冰箱 (bīng xiāng, fridge), and 行李箱 (xíng lǐ xiāng, suitcase). It is very common when talking about storage containers or travel luggage in Chinese.

Common words containing 箱 include: 箱子 (xiāng zi) — box/suitcase; 冰箱 (bīng xiāng) — Refrigerator; fridge; 行李箱 (xíng lǐ xiāng) — Suitcase.