笼 lóng — basket; cage
这只小鸟被关在笼子里。Zhè zhī xiǎo niǎo bèi guān zài lóng zi lǐ.This little bird is kept in a cage.
Common words: 笼罩 (lǒng zhào)、灯笼 (dēng lóng)、笼子 (lóng zi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "basket"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "basket", including 笼 (lóng), 罩 (zhào), 篮 (lán). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "basket" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 笼 (lóng), 罩 (zhào), 篮 (lán) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span lóng, zhào, lán — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 笼 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 笼 lóngbasket; cageUseful words: 笼罩, 灯笼
- 罩 zhàocover; fish trap (basket); shadeUseful words: 笼罩, 口罩
- 篮 lánbasket; goalUseful words: 篮球, 摇篮
Common words for these 3 "basket" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 笼 (lóng) — so "basket" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
笼罩lǒng zhàoto envelop; to shroud灯笼dēng lónglantern笼子lóng zicage; basket; container笼罩lǒng zhàoto envelop; to shroud口罩kǒu zhàomask (surgical etc)罩子zhào zicover; casing篮球lán qiúbasketball摇篮yáo láncradle (for a baby); (fig.) cradle; birthplace (of a civilization, movement etc)上篮shàng lán(basketball) layup
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "basket".
罩 zhào — cover; fish trap (basket); shade
早晨，山谷被一层薄雾笼罩着。Zǎo chén, shān gǔ bèi yì céng báo wù lóng zhào zhe.In the morning, the valley is shrouded in a thin mist.
Common words: 笼罩 (lǒng zhào)、口罩 (kǒu zhào)、罩子 (zhào zi)
篮 lán — basket; goal
妈妈提着一个篮子去市场买菜。Mā ma tí zhe yí ge lán zi qù shì chǎng mǎi cài.Mom carries a basket to the market to buy groceries.
Common words: 篮球 (lán qiú)、摇篮 (yáo lán)、上篮 (shàng lán)
All 3 characters
Open 笼、罩、篮 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.