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Words Kanji Guides About

タンス (たんす) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

タンス

た

ん

す

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

chest of drawers; dresser; bureau

usually written using kana alone

A piece of furniture with drawers for storing clothes or other items. The word is usually written in katakana.

タンスの引ひき出だしに服ふくをしまった。
I put my clothes away in the chest of drawers.

新あたらしいタンスを買かうために家か具ぐ屋やに行いった。

I went to the furniture store to buy a new dresser.

Written forms

タンスUsage43%
kana-only spelling
Standard katakana spelling for this word.
簞たん笥すUsage35%
out-dated kanji form
たんすUsage15%
Hiragana spelling is also common.
箪たん笥すUsage8%
Kanji form is uncommon; the word is usually written in kana.

Kanji

箪bamboo rice basket
笥lunch box, clothes chest
簞small bamboo basket for holding

Similar words

引ひき出だし
Refers to a drawer itself, while タンス is the entire piece of furniture containing drawers.
戸と棚だな
A cupboard or cabinet with doors, not drawers.

Etymology

The word is thought to derive from the Chinese word 箪笥 (dānsì), but the exact historical path into Japanese is uncertain. The katakana spelling タンス is now standard.