床 meaning and stroke order
Bed; couch (furniture that one can lie down on) (CL:張|张[zhang1]); bed; bottom (of rivers, oceans, gardens etc); frame; chassis
How to write 床, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 床
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bed; couch (furniture that one can lie down on) (CL:張|张[zhang1])
- bed; bottom (of rivers, oceans, gardens etc)
- frame; chassis
- classifier for blankets, quilts etc
- variant of 床[chuang2]
How 床 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A house 广 made out of wood 木; 广 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 广 (broad), shared by 60 characters on this site.
How to remember 床
Picture a shelter 广 with a piece of wood 木 inside it. The wooden thing you keep under your roof is your bed, 床 (chuáng).
床 is the everyday word for a bed, and it also names the bottom of something, as in 河床 (héchuáng) riverbed. It also appears in many daily words like 起床 (qǐchuáng) and 病床 (bìngchuáng). Example: 我七点起床。(Wǒ qī diǎn qǐchuáng.) I get up at seven.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 庆 or 应 by mistake because they share the 广 frame. Check that 床 has a full 木 inside. Also be careful with 上床 (shàngchuáng): it can mean to go to bed, but in casual speech it often means to have sex, so 去睡觉 (qù shuìjiào) is safer for going to sleep.
Common words with 床
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 起床 | qǐchuáng | to get out of bed; to get up | HSK 1 |
| 临床 | línchuáng | (medicine) clinical | HSK 7-9 |
| 病床 | bìngchuáng | hospital bed; sickbed | HSK 7-9 |
| 床位 | chuángwèi | bed (in hospital, hotel, train etc); berth | HSK 7-9 |
| 上床 | shàngchuáng | to go to bed; (coll.) to have sex | |
| 床单 | chuángdān | bed sheet | |
| 床垫 | chuángdiàn | mattress | |
| 床边 | chuángbiān | bedside | |
| 尿床 | niàochuáng | to wet the bed | |
| 床铺 | chuángpù | bed | |
| 河床 | héchuáng | riverbed | |
| 床头 | chuángtóu | bedhead; bedside | |
| 婴儿床 | yīng'érchuáng | crib; baby's bed | |
| 床头柜 | chuángtóuguì | bedside cabinet |
床 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 床
How many strokes are in 床?
床 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 床 mean?
床 (chuáng) means bed; couch (furniture that one can lie down on) (CL:張|张[zhang1]); bed; bottom (of rivers, oceans, gardens etc); frame; chassis. A common word with it is 起床 (qǐchuáng), meaning "to get out of bed; to get up".
How do you pronounce 床?
床 is pronounced chuáng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 床?
The radical of 床 is 广, which carries the idea of "broad". Dictionaries list 床 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 床?
The traditional form of 床 is 牀. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 床 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 床 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 床 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What measure word do you use with 床?
Use 张 (zhāng) for a bed, as in 一张床 (yì zhāng chuáng) one bed. 床 itself can also be a measure word for quilts and blankets, as in 一床被子 (yì chuáng bèizi) one quilt.
What does 临床 mean, and does it have anything to do with beds?
临床 (línchuáng) means clinical, as in medicine. It literally suggests being at the patient's bedside, which is where clinical work happens.