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.
  • 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.
  • 今日は町のスポーツ連盟の会合に出席する。
    Kyou wa machi no supootsu renmei no kaigou ni shusseki suru.
    Today I will attend the town’s sports federation meeting.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyou wa) – today
    • 町の (machi no) – town’s
    • スポーツ連盟の (supootsu renmei no) – sports federation’s
    • 会合に (kaigou ni) – to the meeting
    • 出席する (shusseki suru) – attend
    Aqui, 「連盟」 é um substantivo que significa liga/federação; aqui ele funciona como parte de uma expressão possessiva com の, ligando-a à palavra anterior para indicar a liga esportiva da cidade.
  • 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.
  • 朝の電車で私は席を立つ前に周りを見た。
    Asa no densha de watashi wa seki o tatsu mae ni mawari o mita.
    On the morning train, I looked around before standing up from my seat.
    Lista:
    • 朝の (asa no) – morning
    • 電車で (densha de) – on the train
    • 私は (watashi wa) – I
    • 席を (seki o) – the seat
    • 立つ (tatsu) – stand up
    • 前に (mae ni) – before
    • 周りを (mawari o) – the surroundings
    • 見た (mita) – looked
    Here, 「立つ」 is the dictionary form used with 前に to mean ‘before standing up’.
席