How to Write 桌 (zhuō) — Meaning “table / desk”

Imagine a wooden table (木) under a bright sun (日) with a small dot (卜) on top, like a table in a sunny room. The dot and sun together look like a table top, and the wood below is the legs.

Start with the top dot (卜) as a small dot on top, then a vertical line down. Next write the 日 part narrow and centered, followed by the 木 at the bottom, making sure the horizontal stroke of 木 is wider than the parts above. A common mistake is making the 日 too wide or spacing the dot too far.

Unlike 桌 which has 木 at the bottom, both 杪 and 杭 have 木 on the left side. 杪 (miǎo) means 'treetop' and has 少 on the right, while 杭 (háng) means 'to cross' or a place name and has 亢 on the right. The top part of 桌 (卜+日) is unique and not found in these other characters.

桌 is used in everyday words like 桌子 (table), 书桌 (desk), and 饭桌 (dining table). In Chinese culture, the dining table (饭桌) is a central place for family meals and gatherings, and the word is also used as a measure word, for example '一桌菜' meaning 'a table full of dishes'.

Common words containing 桌 include: 桌子 (zhuō zi) — Table / Desk; 书桌 (shū zhuō) — Desk; 饭桌 (fàn zhuō) — dining table.