also: カフェー · キャフェ · カッフェ · カッフェー
A casual place serving coffee, tea, light meals, and sweets. The most common modern meaning.
from French
駅前のカフェでコーヒーを飲んだ。
I had coffee at a café in front of the station.
She opened a small café in front of the station.
あのカフェはケーキがおいしい。
That café has delicious cake.
Only with reading カフェー
Historical term for a bar where hostesses served Western alcoholic drinks, especially during the Taisho and early Showa periods. Often written カフェー.
大正時代、カフェーは新しい社交の場だった。
In the Taisho era, the café (hostess bar) was a new kind of social venue.
仕事の後、カフェでお茶した。
After work, we had tea at a café.
When I was a university student, I worked at a café.
I like going café-hopping with friends on my days off.
カフェ is a modern loanword with a light, contemporary feel, whereas 喫茶 sounds traditional or nostalgic.
カフェ is the general modern word for a casual coffee shop, whereas パーラー often specifically implies sweets or parfaits are the main draw.
カフェ is a coffee shop or casual café, whereas カフェテリア is a self-service dining hall, so the two are easily mixed up despite similar sounds.
カフェ refers to a café (the shop or place), while コーヒー is the drink itself, so learners sometimes mix up the two English loanwords.
Used when counting a café as a physical shop/building, e.g. 「カフェが一軒ある」.
caffè latte; latte
cafeteria
sidewalk café; pavement café
dog-friendly café; dog café
cat café
café and bar; combined café-bar
beer cafe; cafe that serves beer
animal café
combined cafe; multipurpose cafe
Standard modern spelling for a café or coffee shop.
Historical spelling associated with the Taisho/Showa hostess bar sense. Marked as search-only.
Search-only variant; not a common modern spelling.
Search-only variant; not a common modern spelling.
Borrowed from French 'café', with the historical カフェー form reflecting an older transcription. The hostess bar sense developed in early 20th-century Japan.
cafe cabaret
kids' cafe; restaurant with a play area for children
job café; youth employment support center
dog café; dog-friendly café