Translation guide
The English word "plate" covers many distinct concepts in Japanese, from tableware to metal sheets to photography. This guide breaks down the most common meanings and their natural Japanese equivalents.
A flat dish used for serving or eating food.
General word for plate, dish, or saucer. Used for both Western-style flat plates and Japanese small dishes.
This plate is very pretty.
お皿をテーブルに並べてください。
Please set the plates on the table.
Large plate or platter, often used for serving shared dishes.
大皿に料理を盛り付ける。
Arrange the food on a large plate.
Small individual plate used to take food from shared dishes.
取り皿を一人一枚ずつ用意してください。
Please prepare one small plate per person.
A flat, thin piece of metal, often used in construction or manufacturing.
General word for board, plank, or sheet. When context is clear, it can mean metal plate. Often combined with material: 鉄板 (iron plate), 鋼板 (steel plate).
鉄板でできた橋です。
It's a bridge made of iron plates.
Explicitly 'metal plate'. Used when material needs to be specified.
Loanword from English, used in technical or modern contexts (e.g., license plate, tectonic plate).
The metal or plastic plate on a vehicle showing its registration number.
Standard term for vehicle license plate.
ナンバープレートが汚れている。
The license plate is dirty.
Literally 'number tag', sometimes used for license plates in older or formal contexts, but ナンバープレート is far more common.
A removable dental appliance, such as a denture or orthodontic plate.
General term for dentures or false teeth. Can refer to a full or partial plate.
祖父は入れ歯を使っている。
My grandfather wears dentures.
Formal/medical term for denture or artificial tooth.
義歯の調整が必要です。
The denture needs adjustment.
Orthodontic plate or retainer. More specific to braces/alignment.
子供が歯科矯正プレートを付けている。
The child wears an orthodontic plate.
A light-sensitive glass or metal plate used in early photography.
Photographic dry plate. Historical term.
この写真は乾板で撮影された。
This photo was taken on a photographic plate.
A massive, irregularly shaped slab of solid rock in the Earth's lithosphere.
Used in geology for tectonic plates. Often combined: 太平洋プレート (Pacific Plate).
日本は四つのプレートの上にある。
Japan sits on four tectonic plates.
The base that a runner must touch to score a run.
Home plate in baseball. Also called ホームベース.
ランナーが本塁に滑り込んだ。
The runner slid into home plate.
Loanword, commonly used in baseball contexts.
Having a lot to do; a full schedule.
Literally 'hands full', meaning very busy or having one's plate full.
今週は手一杯で、新しい仕事は受けられません。
I have a full plate this week and can't take on new work.
So busy that one's hands can't keep up; overwhelmed.
今は忙しくて手が回らないので、後で連絡します。
I have too much on my plate right now, so I'll contact you later.
While プレート is understood, using 皿 is much more natural for everyday dishes. プレート often sounds like a loanword for specific contexts (license plate, tectonic plate, etc.).
お皿 is the polite form, commonly used in daily conversation. 皿 alone can sound blunt or is used in compound words. In casual settings, either is fine, but お皿 is safer for learners.
お皿をテーブルに置いてください。
Please put the plates on the table.
車のナンバープレートが泥で覆われていた。
The car's license plate was covered in mud.
今、手一杯です。
I have a lot on my plate right now.
This machine is covered with metal plates.
車のナンバープレートを確認する。
Check the car's license plate.
番号札を確認してください。
Please check the license plate.
Step on home plate.