The Meaning of zaseki [座席] In Japanese

座席
ざせき
Romaji: zaseki N4

What does 座席 mean?

Translation and Meaning

seat, seating area, place to sit

Definition

What does 座席 mean? It denotes the specific seat you occupy in a venue, transport, or other space, not the general concept of seating; it refers to a defined physical seat or a designated position within a seating layout.

Type

Noun (名詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Physical seat or chair where a person sits, such as in a room, car, or theater
  • Reserved or assigned seating in venues, transportation, or events
  • The seating area or section within a space, collectively described as seating

Composition

  • 座: to sit, act of sitting; establishes the act or state related to a seat
  • 席: seat, place or position; denotes a location within a seating arrangement

Usage

Used in both formal and everyday contexts to refer to a specific seat or seating area; in booking systems, signage, and announcements it designates exact locations, while in casual speech it points to where someone will sit or where seats are located.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: ZA + SEKI = the place where you sit; imagine a chair labeled with ‘ZA-SEKI’ showing exactly where you should sit.

Variations

  • シート (shiito) — loanword for seat, common in modern contexts like cars and theaters
  • 席 (seki) — shorter term meaning seat or place, frequently used in everyday language and in compounds

Words with the same Meaning

Example Phrases

  • 電車の乗客はスマホを見ながら座席を探している。
    Densha no joukyaku wa sumaho o minagara zaseki o sagashite iru.
    The train passenger is looking for a seat while looking at their smartphone.
    Lista:
    • 電車 (Densha) – train
    • の (no) – of / ‘s
    • 乗客 (joukyaku) – passenger
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • スマホ (sumaho) – smartphone
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 見ながら (minagara) – while looking
    • 座席 (zaseki) – seat
    • を (o) – object marker
    • 探している (sagashite iru) – looking for
    The word 「乗客」 is a noun meaning ‘passenger’; here it is part of the noun phrase 電車の乗客 meaning ‘the train’s passenger’, with は marking the topic.
  • 電車の 座席 を 予約 して 出張 に 行きます
    Densha no zaseki o yoyaku shite shucchou ni ikimasu
    I booked a train seat and I’m going on a business trip.
    Lista:
    • 電車の (Densha no) – train’s
    • 座席 (zaseki) – seat
    • を (wo) – object marker
    • 予約 (yoyaku) – to reserve
    • して (shite) – do
    • 出張 (shucchou) – business trip
    • に (ni) – to
    • 行きます (ikimasu) – go
    The noun 「座席」 is marked by を to form 座席を予約する, showing that a seat is what is being reserved.
座席