Meaning
Storehouse or warehouse — a place to safely store things. Used in both physical and metaphorical contexts.
- 倉庫 — Warehouse
- 冷蔵庫 — Refrigerator
- 土蔵 — Earthen storehouse
- 宝蔵 — Treasure store
- 蔵書 — Book collection
The top part (艹) indicates “grass” or plants, but here it functions phonetically. The full character represents a place where items are safely stored and hidden. Historically used for storing rice, treasure, or important goods.
Also appears in words related to mental or spiritual “storage” such as 蔵念 (stored thoughts).
この蔵には 昔の道具が 入っています。
This storehouse contains old tools.
冷蔵庫に 野菜を 入れました。
I put vegetables in the refrigerator.
The on-yomi ゾウ is used in compound nouns (like 倉庫, 冷蔵庫), while the kun-yomi くら refers to traditional storage buildings.