crowded, dense

JLPT N5 13 strokes

Words with this Kanji

Meaning and Usage

The character (chóu) primarily describes something dense, thick, or crowded. It can refer to physical density, such as a dense forest or a crowded group of people, as well as to the thickness of liquids like soup or paint.

Common Contexts

  • Describing dense vegetation or crowds: 稠密 (chóumì) is a common collocation meaning 'dense' or 'thickly packed.'
  • Describing the consistency of liquids: can mean 'thick' or 'viscous,' often used when talking about soups or sauces.

Collocations and Patterns

  • 稠密人群 (dense crowd): used to describe a tightly packed group of people.
  • 稠密树林 (dense forest): describes a forest with closely spaced trees.
  • (soup too thick): describes a liquid that is too viscous.

Nuances

When using to describe crowds or objects, it emphasizes the closeness or compactness. When describing liquids, it highlights viscosity or thickness. It is a formal or literary word and less common in casual speech compared to synonyms like 密集 or 浓厚.

Common Confusion

Do not confuse with (chóu) meaning 'to mix' in some dialects or contexts. Here, focus on the meaning related to density and thickness.

Example Sentences

The trees in this forest are very dense, almost no sunlight can be seen.

The crowd is dense, walking is very difficult.

This soup is too thick; you should add some water.