1.
chest of drawers, dresser, bureau
A piece of furniture with drawers for storing clothes and other items. Traditional Japanese tansu are often made of paulownia wood.
洋服を箪笥にしまいました。
I put the clothes away in the dresser.
この箪笥は祖母から受け継いだものです。
This chest of drawers was passed down from my grandmother.
桐の箪笥は高級です。
Paulownia wood chests are high-end.
引っ越しのとき、重い箪笥を二人で運んだ。
When moving, we carried the heavy chest of drawers between two of us.
母は季節ごとに箪笥の中身を入れ替えて、夏物と冬物を分けている。
My mother swaps out the contents of the dresser each season, separating summer and winter clothes.
箪笥 - the kanji is complex and often written in hiragana.
Traditional types:
- 桐箪笥 (paulownia wood chest) - for kimono storage
- 階段箪笥 (staircase tansu) - doubles as stairs
- 車箪笥 (wheeled tansu)
- 船箪笥 (ship tansu) - used on boats
桐 (paulownia) properties:
- Moisture resistant
- Protects from insects
- Lightweight yet durable
- Ideal for storing silk kimono
Expression:
- 箪笥の肥やし (lit. "fertilizer for the dresser") - clothes that are never worn
Modern equivalents: チェスト, ドレッサー