席
Meaning in Englishseat, place
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Word context
What it means
What does 席 mean? It refers to a place for sitting—physically a seat or chair—and more broadly to a position or place within a group, event, or organization.
Main meanings
- Physical seat, chair, or sitting surface
- Seat in a venue, vehicle, or meeting—your designated space
- Position or role within a group, organization, or event
- Figurative sense of a place or space, such as a seat of authority
- Seating arrangements or attendance in events
How to use it
Used as a general noun for a place to sit in everyday speech and in formal contexts to denote a position or seat within a group, organization, or event; it appears in discussions of seating arrangements, attendance, and seats of power.
Variants and close terms
- 椅子 (いす, isu) chair
- 座席 (ざせき, zaseki) seat or seating area
- 場所 (ばしょ, basho) place or location
Etymology
Phonetic evolution The on'yomi seki is derived from the Chinese reading of 席; kun'yomi is not used in standard Japanese; the character historically denotes a seated surface and was adopted into Japanese with a focus on seating concepts.
Origin
In classical Japan seating was tied to low furniture and tatami arrangements; during the Meiji period Western-style chairs became common, and the term 席 expanded to cover both physical seating and positions of authority in modern usage.
Word class
noun (名詞)