桌子 (zhuō zi) is a common noun meaning 'table' — a piece of furniture with a flat top and one or more legs, used for eating, writing, working, or displaying objects. The first character 桌 (zhuō) carries the core meaning of 'table' or 'desk', while 子 (zi) is a neutral diminutive suffix frequently added to nouns in Mandarin to form standard, colloquial terms — it adds no specific semantic weight but makes the word sound natural and complete. Unlike English, where 'table' stands alone, Chinese often uses such suffixes to create fully formed nouns.

This word applies broadly: dining tables, study desks, coffee tables, and even metaphorical uses like 'the negotiation table' (谈判桌). It's gender-neutral, countable (use measure word 张, e.g., 一张桌子), and appears in compound words like 书桌 (shū zhuō, 'study desk') and 餐桌 (cān zhuō, 'dining table'). It’s universally understood across all regions of Mandarin-speaking communities and appropriate in both formal and informal contexts.