窝 wō — nest
屋檐下有一个燕子窝。Wū yán xià yǒu yí ge yàn zi wō.There is a swallow nest under the eaves.
Common words: 窝子 (wō zi)、面窝 (miàn wō)、窝主 (wō zhǔ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "nest"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "nest", including 窝 (wō), 巢 (cháo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "nest" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 窝 (wō), 巢 (cháo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wō, cháo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 窝 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 窝 wōnestUseful words: 窝子, 面窝
- 巢 cháonestUseful words: 鸟巢, 老巢
Common words for these 2 "nest" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 窝 (wō) — so "nest" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
窝子wō zilair; den; stronghold面窝miàn wōChinese doughnut窝主wō zhǔperson who harbors criminals; receiver (of stolen goods)鸟巢niǎo cháobird's nest; nickname for Beijing 2008 Olympic stadium老巢lǎo cháo(fig.) lair; den; stronghold (esp. of criminals or hostile forces)空巢kōng cháoempty nest; a home where the kids have grown up and moved out
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 2 ways to say "nest".
巢 cháo — nest
大树上有一个鸟巢，里面住着几只小鸟。Dà shù shàng yǒu yí ge niǎo cháo, lǐ miàn zhù zhe jǐ zhī xiǎo niǎo.There is a bird nest in the big tree, home to a few little birds.
Common words: 鸟巢 (niǎo cháo)、老巢 (lǎo cháo)、空巢 (kōng cháo)
All 2 characters
Open 窝、巢 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.