Translation guide
A flat container for carrying or holding items. Japanese has several words depending on material, shape, and use.
A flat, often rectangular, tray used to carry meals, dishes, or drinks.
The most common word for a tray used in daily life, especially for carrying food and dishes. Often wooden or plastic.
お盆にコーヒーを載せて運んだ。
I carried the coffee on a tray.
Loanword from English. Common in restaurants, cafeterias, and fast food. Often plastic or metal.
食堂でトレーを持って並んだ。
I waited in line holding a tray at the cafeteria.
Same as お盆 but without the honorific prefix. Used in compounds or formal contexts.
盆に載せてお出しします。
I will serve it on a tray.
A small, often lacquered tray used in tea ceremony or for serving tea and sweets.
A small saucer-like tray specifically for serving tea cups. Often lacquered.
茶托に湯呑みを載せて客に出した。
I placed the teacup on a tea tray and served it to the guest.
A square wooden tray with raised edges, used in traditional Japanese dining or ceremonies.
折敷に懐石料理が並べられた。
The kaiseki dishes were arranged on a wooden tray.
A small, often decorative tray for holding personal items on a desk or dresser.
General term for a small container or tray for accessories, keys, etc. Not exclusively a tray, but commonly used.
机の上に小物入れを置いて、鍵を入れている。
I keep a small tray on my desk and put my keys in it.
Also used for small decorative trays, especially in modern or Western-style interiors.
A flat metal tray used for baking in an oven.
Specifically a baking sheet or oven tray. Flat metal tray used in ovens.
クッキーを天板に並べて焼いた。
I arranged the cookies on a baking tray and baked them.
Loanword, less common than 天板 but understood.
オーブントレーにアルミホイルを敷いた。
I lined the oven tray with aluminum foil.
The part of a machine where paper or discs are placed.
Used for paper trays in printers, CD/DVD trays, etc. Often written in katakana.
プリンターのトレイに紙を補充した。
I refilled the paper in the printer tray.
The fold-down table attached to the back of a seat.
Simply 'table' is used. In context, it refers to the tray table.
飛行機のテーブルを出して食事をした。
I pulled out the tray table on the plane and ate my meal.
Literal translation, sometimes used but less natural.
座席のトレーテーブルを戻してください。
Please return your tray table to its upright position.
お盆 is the traditional Japanese word for a tray, often wooden and used in homes. トレー is a loanword and feels more modern or commercial, like a cafeteria tray. Use お盆 for home settings and トレー for restaurants or fast food.
盆 without the honorific お can sound blunt or old-fashioned. Stick to お盆 in everyday conversation.
I bought a tray for accessories.