厨房 (chú fáng) literally combines 厨 (chú), meaning 'cook' or 'cooking', and 房 (fáng), meaning 'room' or 'space'. Together, they form the standard noun for 'kitchen' — the room in a home or establishment where food is prepared and cooked. Unlike more formal or technical terms, 厨房 is neutral in register and used daily by speakers of all ages in both spoken and written Chinese.

This word refers specifically to the physical space, not the activity of cooking (which uses verbs like 烹饪 or 做饭). It’s commonly modified by location words (e.g., 家里的厨房, 'the kitchen at home') or size/description words (e.g., 明亮的厨房, 'a bright kitchen'). In apartments and houses, 厨房 is considered one of the core functional rooms alongside 卧室 (bedroom), 客厅 (living room), and 卫生间 (bathroom).