Translation guide
A small restaurant selling light meals and drinks, often with a casual or European atmosphere. In Japanese, the word is borrowed as カフェ, but there are also native terms for traditional Japanese tea houses and coffee shops.
A casual place serving coffee, tea, light meals, and desserts, often with a relaxed or stylish atmosphere.
The most common and direct translation. Used for modern, often Western-style cafés. Can be combined with other words like カフェラテ (caffè latte).
あのカフェでコーヒーを飲みましょう。
Let's have coffee at that café.
Traditional Japanese coffee shop or tea room. Often evokes a Showa-era atmosphere, with darker interiors and a focus on coffee. Less common for modern, trendy cafés.
I had a morning set at the coffee shop in front of the station.
Cafeteria-style self-service restaurant, often found in schools, hospitals, or large buildings. Not a typical street café.
I had lunch at the university cafeteria.
A traditional establishment serving Japanese tea and sweets, often with tatami seating and a garden view.
A traditional Japanese tea house, often serving matcha and wagashi. More refined than a casual café.
I had matcha at a tea house in Kyoto.
A shop specializing in traditional Japanese sweets, often serving tea as well. More focused on desserts than a full café experience.
An outdoor seating area of a café, often on a sidewalk or terrace.
Refers to a café with outdoor seating, often on a terrace or sidewalk. Common in tourist areas.
I want to eat a croissant at a sidewalk café in Paris.
A café with terrace seating. More descriptive than オープンカフェ.
Let's have tea at a café with terrace seating.
カフェ is used for modern, Western-style cafés, while 喫茶店 refers to traditional Japanese coffee shops. 喫茶店 often has a retro atmosphere and may serve light meals like toast and eggs. カフェ is more likely to serve espresso-based drinks and pastries.
Starbucks is a café, but it is not called a kissaten.
If you're referring to a place that serves matcha and wagashi in a traditional setting, use 茶房 or 甘味処 instead of カフェ. カフェ implies a Western-style establishment.
I ate anmitsu at a traditional sweets shop in Asakusa.