Cajón vs. gaveta
The Spanish words cajón and gaveta both translate to drawer in English when referring to furniture. The primary difference between them is regional usage, though occasionally they can imply different sizes or specific types of compartments depending on the country.
Cajón
A2The word cajón is the most standard and universally understood term for a drawer across almost all Spanish-speaking countries, used for any standard sliding storage compartment found in desks, dressers, or kitchen cabinets.
Guarda los cubiertos limpios en el primer cajón de la cocina.
(Store the clean cutlery in the first kitchen drawer.)
Mi escritorio tiene un cajón secreto donde escondo mis diarios personales.
(My desk has a secret drawer where I hide my personal diaries.)
El cajón de la cómoda está atascado y no puedo sacar mi suéter.
(The dresser drawer is stuck and I cannot take out my sweater.)
Por favor saca una camisa limpia del cajón de arriba.
(Please take a clean shirt out of the top drawer.)
Dejé mis llaves olvidadas dentro del cajón del mueble de la entrada.
(I left my keys forgotten inside the drawer of the entryway cabinet.)
Gaveta
C1The word gaveta is a regional term for a drawer commonly used in the Caribbean, parts of Central and South America such as Venezuela and Colombia, and the Canary Islands in Spain. In certain professional or regional contexts, gaveta is used specifically to describe filing cabinet drawers, small desk compartments, or cash register tills.
El doctor guardó los expedientes médicos en la gaveta del archivero.
(The doctor stored the medical records in the drawer of the filing cabinet.)
Pon el dinero suelto en la gaveta de la caja registradora antes de cerrar el turno.
(Put the spare change in the cash register drawer before closing the shift.)
En la casa de mi abuela siempre guardábamos las recetas en una gaveta de madera vieja.
(In my grandmother's house we always kept the recipes in an old wooden drawer.)
No encuentro las tijeras que dejé ayer en la gaveta de la oficina.
(I cannot find the scissors that I left yesterday in the office drawer.)
Asegúrate de cerrar con llave la gaveta de tu escritorio antes de salir a comer.
(Make sure to lock your desk drawer before going out to eat.)
Summary
In summary, you can confidently use cajón anywhere in the Spanish-speaking world to refer to a standard furniture drawer. However, if you are traveling to the Caribbean, Venezuela, or parts of Central America, using the word gaveta will help you sound much more culturally attuned to the local Spanish dialect. Furthermore, gaveta is often the preferred technical term for filing and cash register drawers in these regions.