Translation guide
A piece of furniture with multiple stacked drawers for storing clothes and other items. In Japanese, the most common equivalent is タンス, but there are several specific terms depending on style, material, and placement.
The most common, everyday word for a chest of drawers, typically made of wood and used for clothing.
The standard word for a chest of drawers. Often written in katakana, but can also be written as 箪笥. Refers to a free-standing wooden cabinet with drawers.
新しいタンスを買いました。
I bought a new chest of drawers.
タンスの引き出しに服をしまってください。
Please put the clothes in the chest of drawers.
Literally 'organizing chest'. Often refers to a chest with many small drawers, sometimes used for accessories or small items, but can also mean a regular chest of drawers.
祖母の整理ダンスには古い写真がたくさん入っています。
My grandmother's chest of drawers contains many old photos.
A chest of drawers in a traditional Japanese style, often made of paulownia wood and used for kimono.
A traditional Japanese-style chest of drawers, often made of paulownia (桐) wood, with metal fittings. Used especially for storing kimono.
和ダンスには着物がしまってあります。
The kimono are stored in the traditional Japanese chest.
A chest of drawers made of paulownia wood, prized for its light weight, moisture resistance, and insect-repellent properties. Often used for high-quality clothing.
桐ダンスは湿気に強いです。
Paulownia chests are resistant to humidity.
A chest of drawers in a Western style, often taller and narrower, sometimes with a mirror.
Literally 'Western clothes chest'. A chest of drawers specifically for Western-style clothing, often taller and with hanging space as well as drawers.
洋服ダンスにはスーツやワンピースをかけています。
I hang suits and dresses in the wardrobe (with drawers).
Loanword from English 'chest'. Often used for a low, wide chest of drawers, sometimes in a bedroom. Can also refer to a chest of drawers as part of a furniture set.
A small chest of drawers, often for accessories, cosmetics, or desk use.
A small chest of drawers, often used for accessories, cosmetics, or stationery.
化粧品は小ダンスに整理しています。
I organize my cosmetics in a small chest of drawers.
A dressing table with drawers, often with a mirror. More specifically a vanity, but can be referred to as a chest of drawers in some contexts.
ドレッサーの引き出しにアクセサリーを入れています。
I keep accessories in the drawers of my dressing table.
タンス is the traditional and most common word for a chest of drawers, often wooden and free-standing. チェスト is a loanword that often implies a lower, wider chest, sometimes part of a bedroom set. In many everyday situations, タンス is the safer choice.
Use the counter 棹 (さお) for chests of drawers, e.g., 一棹 (ひとさお) for one chest. However, in casual speech, 台 (だい) or つ (つ) may be used.
寝室に新しいタンスが必要です。
I need a new chest of drawers for my bedroom.
彼女はセーターをタンスの一番下の引き出しに入れています。
She keeps her sweaters in the bottom drawer of the chest.
I placed a chest of drawers next to the bed.