Usage patterns 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 の 座ざ 席せき に 座すわ る to sit in a/the seat (at a place)
Please sit in your assigned seat.
座ざ 席せき を 予よ 約やく する to reserve a seat
I reserved a seat on the bullet train.
座ざ 席せき を 指し 定てい する to designate/assign a specific seat
You need to reserve a specific seat for this train.
座ざ 席せき が 空あ いている a seat is empty/available
The seat in the back was empty.
窓まど 側がわ の 座ざ 席せき a window seat
I requested a window seat.
座ざ 席せき を 譲ゆず る to give up one's seat (for someone else)
I gave up my seat for an elderly person.
Related words 席 is the general, everyday word for a seat or place to sit, while 座席 is more formal and typically refers to designated or assigned seating in public settings like trains and theaters.
シート is a loanword used casually for seats in cars, planes, and cinemas, while 座席 is the more formal native Japanese term for the same thing.
座席 is the general word for any seat (train, theater, etc.), while サドル refers specifically to the narrow seat on a bicycle, motorcycle, or horse.
座席 is more formal and often refers to a designated seat in a theater, train, or event, while 椅子 is a general term for a chair or seat.
座席 is a general word for any seat (train, car, theater), while 客席 specifically means seating set aside for guests or an audience.
Word family· 8 seating capacity; number of seats
seating chart; seating plan
rumble seat
priority seating
seat reservation; seat selection
Show 3 more Show fewer seat number
back seat; rear seat
reserved-seat ticket
Written forms 座ざ 席せき Usage 100%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency word in news and everyday contexts.
坐ざ 席せき Usage <1%
search-only kanji form
Search-only variant; 坐 is a traditional form of 座 . Not used in modern standard writing.
Etymology Compound of 座 (za, 'sitting') and 席 (seki, 'seat'). The kanji 坐 is a variant of 座 with the same meaning, now obsolete in standard usage.
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