‘窗户’ (chuānghu) is the standard, general term for ‘window’ in modern Mandarin — referring to an opening in a wall or roof that lets in light and air, typically fitted with glass and a frame. The first character, 窗 (chuāng), originally depicted a lattice-covered opening and carries the core meaning of ‘window’; the second, 户 (hù), means ‘door’ or ‘household’, but here functions as a semantic complement, reinforcing the idea of an architectural entry point for light and ventilation. Together, they form a compound noun that is neutral in register and used across all contexts — homes, offices, vehicles, and even metaphorical expressions like ‘a window to the world’.

This word is always written as a two-character compound; you cannot use just 窗 or just 户 alone to mean ‘window’ in standard speech (though 窗 may appear in literary or poetic contexts). It’s countable (e.g., 一扇窗户, ‘one window’) and commonly modified by measure words like 扇 (shàn) for framed openings or 个 (gè) in informal speech.