The Meaning of seki [席] In Japanese

席
せき
Romaji: seki N5

What does 席 mean?

Translation and Meaning

seat, chair, place, position

Definition

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.

Type

noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

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

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.

Usage

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.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: the kanji visually suggests a sitting surface bordered by cloth; link the sound seki to the English word seat to remember that 席 means seat and also a position you hold.

Variations

  • 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

Example Phrases

  • 駅前の カフェで 席を 確保して 窓際の 席を 選んで 座った。
    Ekimae no kafe de seki o kakuhoshite madogiwa no seki o erande suwatta.
    I secured a seat at a cafe near the station and chose a window seat.
    Lista:
    • 駅前の (ekimae no) – direct translation in en
    • カフェで (kafe de) – direct translation in en
    • 席を (seki o) – direct translation in en
    • 確保して (kakuhoshite) – direct translation in en
    • 窓際の (madogiwa no) – direct translation in en
    • 席を (seki o) – direct translation in en
    • 選んで (erande) – direct translation in en
    • 座った (suwatta) – direct translation in en
    「席」 é um substantivo que significa ‘assento’; neste contexto, é o objeto de 確保して e de 選んで, mostrando que você garantiu e escolheu um assento.
  • ランチの席で 彼は 新しい 時計を 見せびらかして 皆を 困らせた
    Ranchi no seki de kare wa atarashii tokei o misebirakashite mina o komaraseta
    At the lunch table, he flaunted his new watch and annoyed everyone.
    Lista:
    • ランチの席で (Ranchi no seki de) – at the lunch table
    • 彼は (kare wa) – he
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • 時計を (tokei o) – watch
    • 見せびらかして (misebirakashite) – flaunting
    • 皆を (mina o) – everyone
    • 困らせた (komaraseta) – annoyed
    Core grammar: The verb 「見せびらかす」 means ‘to flaunt, show off’. Here it is used in its te-form 見せびらかして to connect to the following clause, followed by 皆を困らせた.
  • 会議の出席者に私を含めてください。
    kaigi no shusseki-sha ni watashi o fukumete kudasai.
    Please include me among the attendees of the meeting.
    Lista:
    • 会議 (kaigi) – meeting
    • の (no) – of
    • 出席者 (shusseki-sha) – attendee
    • に (ni) – in/among
    • 私 (watashi) – I
    • を (wo) – (object marker)
    • 含めて (fukumete) – including
    • ください (kudasai) – please
    Core point: 「含める」 means ‘to include’; here it forms the request ‘please include me’ within the group indicated by 会議の出席者に.
  • 今日は彼女が図々しく私の席を勝手に使った。
    Kyou wa kanojo ga zuuzushiku watashi no seki o katte ni tsukatta.
    Today she shamelessly used my seat.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyou wa) – direct translation in en
    • 彼女が (kanojo ga) – direct translation in en
    • 図々しく (zuuzushiku) – direct translation in en
    • 私の席を (watashi no seki o) – direct translation in en
    • 勝手に使った (katte ni tsukatta) – direct translation in en
    The word 「図々しく」 is the adverbial form of the adjective 図々しい, used to describe how the action was performed—shamelessly.
  • お嬢さん、こちらの席へどうぞ、ゆっくりおくつろぎください。
    Ojōsan, kochira no seki e dōzo, yukkuri okutsurogi kudasai.
    Miss, please take a seat here and make yourself comfortable.
    Lista:
    • お嬢さん (Ojōsan) – Miss
    • こちらの席へ (kochira no seki e) – to this seat
    • どうぞ (dōzo) – please / go ahead
    • ゆっくりおくつろぎください (yukkuri okutsurogi kudasai) – please take your time and relax
    The term 「お嬢さん」 is an honorific address for a young woman, adding politeness when speaking to someone else’s daughter or a customer; it conveys respect and a polite distance.
席