Meaning of 库
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- warehouse
- storehouse
- (file) library
How to use 库
库 rarely stands alone in speech. It usually appears at the end of compounds that name a place where something is kept, like 车库 (chēkù) garage, 仓库 (cāngkù) storehouse, or 数据库 (shùjùkù) database. Example: 我的车在车库里。(Wǒ de chē zài chēkù lǐ.) My car is in the garage.
库 is built from 广 (a roof or shelter) over 车 (chē, cart). Picture a big roofed building where carts are parked and goods are stored, and you have a storehouse.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 库 (kù) with 裤 (kù, trousers), which sounds the same but adds the clothing radical 衤 on the left. Also keep the fourth tone; it is not kǔ like 苦 (bitter).
库 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
库 kù · warehouse · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 库.
Questions about 库
What does 库 mean?
库 (kù) means "warehouse; storehouse" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 库?
库 is made of 1 character: 库 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 库 an HSK word?
Yes. 库 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 库 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 库 is written 庫.
What is the difference between 仓库 and 库?
仓库 (cāngkù) is the normal standalone word for a warehouse in everyday speech. 库 by itself sounds formal or technical and is mostly used as a building block inside other words.
Why does 水库 mean reservoir?
水库 (shuǐkù) literally means a water storehouse. A reservoir is a place where water is collected and stored, so the same storage idea of 库 applies.