室 shì — room
教室里很安静。Jiào shì lǐ hěn ān jìng.It is very quiet in the classroom.
Common words: 办公室 (bàn gōng shì)、教室 (jiào shì)、实验室 (shí yàn shì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "room"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "room", including 室 (shì), 屋 (wū), 宇 (yǔ). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "room" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 室 (shì), 屋 (wū), 宇 (yǔ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shì, wū, yǔ — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 室 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 室 shìroomUseful words: 办公室, 教室
- 屋 wūhouse; roomUseful words: 房屋, 屋子
- 宇 yǔroom; universeUseful words: 宇宙, 宇航员
Common words for these 3 "room" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 室 (shì) — so "room" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 "room".
屋 wū — house; room
这间小屋虽然不大，却很温暖。Zhè jiān xiǎo wū suī rán bú dà, què hěn wēn nuǎn.Although this little house is small, it is very cozy.
Common words: 房屋 (fáng wū)、屋子 (wū zi)、屋顶 (wū dǐng)
宇 yǔ — room; universe
宇宙里有数不清的星星。Yǔ zhòu lǐ yǒu shǔ bu qīng de xīng xing.There are countless stars in the universe.
Common words: 宇宙 (yǔ zhòu)、宇航员 (yǔ háng yuán)、气宇 (qì yǔ)
All 3 characters
Open 室、屋、宇 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.