冷蔵庫（れいぞうこ、reizouko）
- refrigerator

The word 冷蔵庫 冷蔵庫 means "refrigerator" or "icebox" in English. It refers to an appliance used for storing food and drinks at a low temperature to preserve them and prevent spoilage. It's an essential item in most modern households.

⚫︎冷蔵庫に食べ物を入れましょう。 Translation: Let's put the food in the refrigerator. ⚫︎ 冷蔵庫のドアが開けっ放しになっているよ。 Translation: The refrigerator door is left open. ⚫︎新しい 冷蔵庫 を買いました。 Translation: I bought a new refrigerator.

You use 冷蔵庫 to talk about the appliance itself. You can use it in various contexts, such as when describing its contents, mentioning where it's located in the house, or discussing its features. For example, you could say: ⚫︎"The milk is in the 冷蔵庫." ⚫︎"The 冷蔵庫 is broken." ⚫︎"I need to clean the 冷蔵庫."

冷蔵庫 is typically written using the kanji 冷蔵庫. ⚫︎冷（rei）means "cold." ⚫︎蔵（zou）means "storehouse" or "warehouse." ⚫︎庫（ko）means "store" or "warehouse." The hiragana reading is れいぞうこ. There are no other common ways to write this word, nor are there variations in the okurigana.

There aren't many direct synonyms, as 冷蔵庫 specifically refers to the appliance. However, depending on context, you might use: ⚫︎ 冷蔵庫 (itself) ⚫︎ 冷蔵庫 (itself) when referring to it in a casual way.

There aren't specific antonyms in the same way as words like "hot" and "cold." The opposite of storing food in a refrigerator would be something like: ⚫︎ Discarding spoiled food. ⚫︎ Leaving food out at room temperature (which can lead to spoilage).

今日の夕食の材料は全部 《冷蔵庫 に入っています。》 ・Translation: All the ingredients for tonight's dinner are in the refrigerator. ・Explanation: This sentence describes where the ingredients for dinner are stored.

この 冷蔵庫 は古いけど、まだ使えます。 ・Translation: This refrigerator is old, but it still works. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the condition of a refrigerator.

The word 冷蔵庫 is a compound word: ⚫︎ 冷（rei）which means "cold." ⚫︎ 蔵（zou） which means "storehouse." ⚫︎ 庫（ko） which means "store." Therefore, the word's etymology reflects its function: a "cold storehouse." The name directly describes the purpose of the appliance.