Chinese Furniture Vocabulary for Beginners

Learn useful furniture words in simplified Chinese: 家具词汇 jiājù cíhuì.

From the sofa you collapse onto after work to the wardrobe that somehow still cannot hold your clothes, these are the Chinese words you will actually use at home.

Furniture vocabulary is surprisingly practical. You need it when shopping, renting an apartment, describing your room, asking where something goes, or complaining that the chair looks nice but feels like a medieval punishment device.

Below, you will get high-frequency Chinese furniture words with pinyin, clear meanings, and real example sentences. The goal is not to memorize a giant dictionary. The goal is to sound useful fast.

Everyday Furniture Cards

沙发 shāfā

Sofa

那张沙发很舒服。
Nà zhāng shāfā hěn shūfu.
That sofa is very comfortable.

桌子 zhuōzi

Table

桌子上有一杯茶。
Zhuōzi shàng yǒu yì bēi chá.
There is a cup of tea on the table.

椅子 yǐzi

Chair

请把椅子搬过来。
Qǐng bǎ yǐzi bān guòlái.
Please move the chair over here.

床 chuáng

Bed

我想买一张大床。
Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì zhāng dà chuáng.
I want to buy a big bed.

衣柜 yīguì

Wardrobe, closet

衣柜里有很多衣服。
Yīguì lǐ yǒu hěn duō yīfu.
There are many clothes in the wardrobe.

书架 shūjià

Bookshelf

书架上放着中文书。
Shūjià shàng fàngzhe Zhōngwén shū.
There are Chinese books on the bookshelf.

书桌 shūzhuō

Desk

我的电脑在书桌上。
Wǒ de diànnǎo zài shūzhuō shàng.
My computer is on the desk.

餐桌 cānzhuō

Dining table

我们在餐桌旁边吃饭。
Wǒmen zài cānzhuō pángbiān chīfàn.
We eat beside the dining table.

Useful Furniture Phrases And Real-Life Sentences

这是什么家具？ Zhè shì shénme jiājù? — What furniture is this?
这个沙发太大了。 Zhège shāfā tài dà le. — This sofa is too big.
那把椅子很轻。 Nà bǎ yǐzi hěn qīng. — That chair is very light.
床放在窗户旁边。 Chuáng fàng zài chuānghu pángbiān. — The bed is placed next to the window.
书桌下面有一个箱子。 Shūzhuō xiàmiàn yǒu yí gè xiāngzi. — There is a box under the desk.
我想换一张新床垫。 Wǒ xiǎng huàn yì zhāng xīn chuángdiàn. — I want to replace the mattress.
衣柜太小，不够用。 Yīguì tài xiǎo, bú gòu yòng. — The wardrobe is too small and not enough to use.
茶几上不要放太多东西。 Chájī shàng bú yào fàng tài duō dōngxi. — Do not put too many things on the coffee table.
这个书架是木头的。 Zhège shūjià shì mùtou de. — This bookshelf is made of wood.
请把凳子拿过来。 Qǐng bǎ dèngzi ná guòlái. — Please bring the stool over.
我们需要一张更大的餐桌。 Wǒmen xūyào yì zhāng gèng dà de cānzhuō. — We need a bigger dining table.
办公室里有很多办公桌。 Bàngōngshì lǐ yǒu hěn duō bàngōngzhuō. — There are many office desks in the office.

A Tiny But Useful Chinese Note

Chinese often uses measure words with furniture. You will hear 一张 yì zhāng for flat things like 桌子 zhuōzi and 床 chuáng, and 一把 yì bǎ for items with handles or seats like 椅子 yǐzi and 扶手椅 fúshǒuyǐ. Yes, Chinese makes you sort your nouns. Rude, but efficient.

Living Room Furniture Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
沙发	shāfā	sofa	客厅里有一张灰色的沙发。	Kètīng lǐ yǒu yì zhāng huīsè de shāfā.	There is a gray sofa in the living room.
茶几	chájī	coffee table	钥匙在茶几上。	Yàoshi zài chájī shàng.	The keys are on the coffee table.
电视柜	diànshìguì	TV stand	电视柜下面可以放游戏机。	Diànshìguì xiàmiàn kěyǐ fàng yóuxìjī.	You can put a game console under the TV stand.
扶手椅	fúshǒuyǐ	armchair	爷爷喜欢坐在扶手椅上看报。	Yéye xǐhuan zuò zài fúshǒuyǐ shàng kàn bào.	Grandpa likes to sit in the armchair and read the newspaper.
边桌	biānzhuō	side table	边桌上有一盏小灯。	Biānzhuō shàng yǒu yì zhǎn xiǎo dēng.	There is a small lamp on the side table.
长凳	chángdèng	bench	门口有一张木头长凳。	Ménkǒu yǒu yì zhāng mùtou chángdèng.	There is a wooden bench by the door.
凳子	dèngzi	stool	厨房里还有两个凳子。	Chúfáng lǐ hái yǒu liǎng gè dèngzi.	There are also two stools in the kitchen.
鞋柜	xiéguì	shoe cabinet	请把鞋放进鞋柜里。	Qǐng bǎ xié fàng jìn xiéguì lǐ.	Please put the shoes into the shoe cabinet.
展示柜	zhǎnshìguì	display cabinet	展示柜里有很多杯子。	Zhǎnshìguì lǐ yǒu hěn duō bēizi.	There are many cups in the display cabinet.
屏风	píngfēng	room divider, folding screen	屏风后面是休息区。	Píngfēng hòumiàn shì xiūxīqū.	Behind the screen is the resting area.
落地灯	luòdìdēng	floor lamp	落地灯放在沙发旁边。	Luòdìdēng fàng zài shāfā pángbiān.	The floor lamp is beside the sofa.
地毯	dìtǎn	rug, carpet	这块地毯很柔软。	Zhè kuài dìtǎn hěn róuruǎn.	This rug is very soft.

Bedroom Furniture Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
床	chuáng	bed	这张床很大。	Zhè zhāng chuáng hěn dà.	This bed is very big.
双人床	shuāngrénchuáng	double bed	我们买了一张双人床。	Wǒmen mǎi le yì zhāng shuāngrénchuáng.	We bought a double bed.
单人床	dānrénchuáng	single bed	孩子的房间里有一张单人床。	Háizi de fángjiān lǐ yǒu yì zhāng dānrénchuáng.	There is a single bed in the child’s room.
床头柜	chuángtóuguì	nightstand	手机在床头柜上。	Shǒujī zài chuángtóuguì shàng.	The phone is on the nightstand.
床垫	chuángdiàn	mattress	这个床垫太软了。	Zhège chuángdiàn tài ruǎn le.	This mattress is too soft.
衣柜	yīguì	wardrobe	新衣服都在衣柜里。	Xīn yīfu dōu zài yīguì lǐ.	The new clothes are all in the wardrobe.
梳妆台	shūzhuāngtái	dressing table	梳妆台前面有一面镜子。	Shūzhuāngtái qiánmiàn yǒu yí miàn jìngzi.	There is a mirror in front of the dressing table.
斗柜	dǒuguì	chest of drawers	袜子放在斗柜的抽屉里。	Wàzi fàng zài dǒuguì de chōuti lǐ.	The socks are in the chest of drawers.
衣帽架	yīmàojià	coat rack	外套挂在衣帽架上。	Wàitào guà zài yīmàojià shàng.	The coat is hanging on the coat rack.
镜子	jìngzi	mirror	她在镜子前整理头发。	Tā zài jìngzi qián zhěnglǐ tóufa.	She fixes her hair in front of the mirror.

Dining Room And Kitchen Furniture Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
餐桌	cānzhuō	dining table	晚饭已经摆在餐桌上了。	Wǎnfàn yǐjīng bǎi zài cānzhuō shàng le.	Dinner is already set on the dining table.
餐椅	cānyǐ	dining chair	这把餐椅有点高。	Zhè bǎ cānyǐ yǒudiǎn gāo.	This dining chair is a bit high.
吧台	bātái	bar counter	两个人坐在吧台边聊天。	Liǎng gè rén zuò zài bātái biān liáotiān.	Two people are chatting by the bar counter.
吧椅	bāyǐ	bar stool	吧椅比普通椅子高。	Bāyǐ bǐ pǔtōng yǐzi gāo.	A bar stool is taller than a normal chair.
橱柜	chúguì	kitchen cabinet	盘子放在橱柜里。	Pánzi fàng zài chúguì lǐ.	The plates are in the kitchen cabinet.
碗柜	wǎnguì	dish cabinet	新的碗柜看起来很整齐。	Xīn de wǎnguì kàn qǐlái hěn zhěngqí.	The new dish cabinet looks very neat.
酒柜	jiǔguì	wine cabinet	客厅角落里有一个小酒柜。	Kètīng jiǎoluò lǐ yǒu yí gè xiǎo jiǔguì.	There is a small wine cabinet in the corner of the living room.
餐边柜	cānbiānguì	sideboard	餐边柜上放着水果。	Cānbiānguì shàng fàngzhe shuǐguǒ.	Fruit is sitting on the sideboard.

Study And Office Furniture Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
书桌	shūzhuō	desk	他每天在书桌前学习。	Tā měitiān zài shūzhuō qián xuéxí.	He studies at the desk every day.
办公桌	bàngōngzhuō	office desk	老板的办公桌很大。	Lǎobǎn de bàngōngzhuō hěn dà.	The boss’s office desk is very large.
办公椅	bàngōngyǐ	office chair	这把办公椅可以调高。	Zhè bǎ bàngōngyǐ kěyǐ tiáogāo.	This office chair can be raised.
书架	shūjià	bookshelf	书架已经放满了。	Shūjià yǐjīng fàng mǎn le.	The bookshelf is already full.
文件柜	wénjiànguì	filing cabinet	重要文件在文件柜里。	Zhòngyào wénjiàn zài wénjiànguì lǐ.	The important documents are in the filing cabinet.
抽屉柜	chōutiguì	drawer cabinet	文具都在抽屉柜里。	Wénjù dōu zài chōutiguì lǐ.	The stationery is all in the drawer cabinet.
电脑桌	diànnǎozhuō	computer desk	电脑桌上有两台显示器。	Diànnǎozhuō shàng yǒu liǎng tái xiǎnshìqì.	There are two monitors on the computer desk.
转椅	zhuànyǐ	swivel chair	他坐在转椅上转来转去。	Tā zuò zài zhuànyǐ shàng zhuàn lái zhuàn qù.	He spins around in the swivel chair.
置物架	zhìwùjià	storage shelf	打印纸放在置物架上。	Dǎyìnzhǐ fàng zài zhìwùjià shàng.	The printer paper is on the storage shelf.

Storage And Multi-Use Furniture Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
柜子	guìzi	cabinet	杯子在那个柜子里。	Bēizi zài nàgè guìzi lǐ.	The cups are in that cabinet.
架子	jiàzi	rack, shelf	请把箱子放到架子上。	Qǐng bǎ xiāngzi fàng dào jiàzi shàng.	Please put the box onto the rack.
储物柜	chǔwùguì	storage cabinet	杂物都放进储物柜里吧。	Záwù dōu fàng jìn chǔwùguì lǐ ba.	Put all the odds and ends into the storage cabinet.
收纳柜	shōunàguì	organizer cabinet	这个收纳柜很适合小房间。	Zhège shōunàguì hěn shìhé xiǎo fángjiān.	This organizer cabinet is great for a small room.
抽屉	chōuti	drawer	抽屉里有剪刀。	Chōuti lǐ yǒu jiǎndāo.	There are scissors in the drawer.
衣箱	yīxiāng	clothes trunk	冬天的衣服在衣箱里。	Dōngtiān de yīfu zài yīxiāng lǐ.	The winter clothes are in the clothes trunk.
折叠桌	zhédiézhuō	folding table	客人多的时候我们用折叠桌。	Kèrén duō de shíhou wǒmen yòng zhédiézhuō.	We use a folding table when many guests come.
折叠椅	zhédiéyǐ	folding chair	折叠椅不用的时候可以收起来。	Zhédiéyǐ bú yòng de shíhou kěyǐ shōu qǐlái.	A folding chair can be put away when not in use.
沙发床	shāfāchuáng	sofa bed	客房里有一张沙发床。	Kèfáng lǐ yǒu yì zhāng shāfāchuáng.	There is a sofa bed in the guest room.
脚凳	jiǎodèng	footstool, ottoman	他把脚放在脚凳上。	Tā bǎ jiǎo fàng zài jiǎodèng shàng.	He puts his feet on the footstool.
躺椅	tǎngyǐ	reclining chair, lounge chair	阳台上有一把躺椅。	Yángtái shàng yǒu yì bǎ tǎngyǐ.	There is a lounge chair on the balcony.

Bathroom And Entryway Furniture Words

Hanzi	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
浴室柜	yùshìguì	bathroom cabinet	毛巾放在浴室柜里。	Máojīn fàng zài yùshìguì lǐ.	The towels are in the bathroom cabinet.
洗手台	xǐshǒutái	sink vanity	牙刷在洗手台旁边。	Yáshuā zài xǐshǒutái pángbiān.	The toothbrush is beside the sink vanity.
毛巾架	máojīnjià	towel rack	请把毛巾挂在毛巾架上。	Qǐng bǎ máojīn guà zài máojīnjià shàng.	Please hang the towel on the towel rack.
换鞋凳	huànxiédèng	shoe-changing bench	门口的换鞋凳很实用。	Ménkǒu de huànxiédèng hěn shíyòng.	The shoe-changing bench by the door is very practical.
玄关柜	xuénguānguì	entryway cabinet	钥匙通常放在玄关柜上。	Yàoshi tōngcháng fàng zài xuénguānguì shàng.	The keys are usually placed on the entryway cabinet.

Quick Variants And Near-Synonyms

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	Nuance
桌子	zhuōzi	table	General word for table.
书桌	shūzhuō	desk	Used for studying or writing.
办公桌	bàngōngzhuō	office desk	Specifically for office work.
椅子	yǐzi	chair	General word for chair.
餐椅	cānyǐ	dining chair	Chair used with a dining table.
扶手椅	fúshǒuyǐ	armchair	A chair with armrests.
柜子	guìzi	cabinet	General word for cabinet.
衣柜	yīguì	wardrobe	Cabinet for clothes.
储物柜	chǔwùguì	storage cabinet	Cabinet for storing mixed items.

Yak Tip To Remember These Words

Do not learn all 50-plus furniture words in one heroic sitting and then forget them by dinner. Pick one room at a time. Start with your bedroom, then your living room, then your desk area. Walk around your home and say the words out loud: 床 chuáng, 衣柜 yīguì, 沙发 shāfā, 书桌 shūzhuō. Real objects beat flashcards that mysteriously vanish into guilt.

Furniture Vocabulary FAQ

How do you say furniture in Chinese?

Furniture in Chinese is 家具 jiājù. One easy sentence is: 我想买新家具。 Wǒ xiǎng mǎi xīn jiājù. — I want to buy new furniture.

What is the difference between 桌子 zhuōzi and 书桌 shūzhuō?

桌子 zhuōzi is a general word for table. 书桌 shūzhuō means desk, usually for studying or working. One example is: 书桌比餐桌小。 Shūzhuō bǐ cānzhuō xiǎo. — A desk is smaller than a dining table.

What measure word is common with beds and tables?

You will often hear 张 zhāng with flat furniture like 床 chuáng and 桌子 zhuōzi. One example is: 一张桌子 yì zhāng zhuōzi — one table.