Translation guide
The English word "bench" can refer to a long seat, a work surface, a judge's seat or court, or a sports team's substitute players. This guide covers the most common Japanese equivalents for each meaning.
A long seat for multiple people, typically in parks, gardens, or public spaces.
The most common and versatile word for a bench in any setting. A loanword from English, widely understood.
Let's sit on a bench in the park.
There are three benches on the station platform.
Literally 'long chair', used for indoor benches or settees. Less common for outdoor park benches.
I placed a bench in the entrance hall.
A sturdy table used for manual work, such as carpentry, mechanics, or laboratory tasks.
The place where a judge sits in a courtroom, or the court itself as an institution.
The seat where substitute players sit, or the group of substitute players collectively.
Same word as for a seat, but in sports context it means the bench area or the substitutes. Often used in phrases like ベンチ入り (being on the bench/roster).
He is off the bench due to injury.
The manager gave instructions from the bench.
Literally 'reserve players', refers to the substitutes themselves rather than the physical bench.
The weightlifting exercise 'bench press' is ベンチプレス in Japanese, not just ベンチ. Using ベンチ alone in a gym context might cause confusion.
The bench press works the chest muscles.
This workbench is height-adjustable.
法廷は被告に有罪判決を下した。
The bench handed down a guilty verdict to the defendant.
The bench players started warming up.