窗

牎/牕/窓/窻

chuāng

囱 + 穴

HSK 3.0Level 4

Frequency#1074

Definitions

chuāng (noun) window

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 穴 represents the meaning and 囱 represents the sound.

Semantic: 穴 Phonetic: 囱

About

The character "窗" for window structurally combines the radical "穴", denoting a hole or cavity, with the component "囱", which originally referred to a chimney or smoke vent, to conceptually represent an opening in a building for light and ventilation. Its traditional form, "窻", maintains this composition with a variant depiction of the "囱" element. Over time, the character's meaning has consistently centered on the architectural feature of a window, with its etymological components directly indicating its functional purpose as an aperture.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

窗户打开了。

Chuāng hu dǎ kāi le。

The window is open.

窗户玻璃很干净。

Chuāng hu bō li hěn gān jìng。

The window glass is very clean。

我喜欢坐在窗边看书。

Wǒ xǐ huān zuò zài chuāng biān kàn shū。

I like to sit by the window and read.

清晨的阳光照进了窗户。

Qīng chén de yáng guāng zhào jìn le chuāng hu。

The morning sunlight shone into the window.

这间客厅有一扇很大的落地窗。

Zhè jiān kè tīng yǒu yí shàn hěn dà de luò dì chuāng。

This living room has a very large floor-to-ceiling window。

她望着窗外，陷入了沉思。

Tā wàng zhe chuāng wài, xiàn rù le chén sī。

She looked out the window, lost in thought.

透过咖啡馆的橱窗，他看到一位老朋友。

Tòu guò kā fēi guǎn de chú chuāng, tā kàn dào yí wèi lǎo péng you。

Through the cafe's shop window, he saw an old friend.

卧室的飘窗上摆着几个柔软的靠垫。

Wò shì de piāo chuāng shang bǎi zhe jǐ gè róu ruǎn de kào diàn。

There are several soft cushions placed on the bedroom's bay window.

Related Characters

Component: 囱

Component: 穴

窗