small low table, tray

About this kanji

The kanji 膳 (ぜん) primarily means a small low table or a tray, often used for serving food. In Japanese, it is commonly used as a noun rather than a verb. You can find it in several compounds such as お膳 (おぜん), which refers to a four-legged tray for festive meals, and 一膳 (いちぜん), meaning a bowl of rice. Another example is 客膳 (きゃくぜん), which denotes a low tray of food prepared for guests. When using 膳, it’s important to remember that it often conveys a sense of hospitality and care in meal presentation.

Example sentences

• 夕食の膳を整えた。

  I set the table for dinner.

Meanings across languages

English

small low table, tray

Tiếng Việt

bàn thấp, khay

日本語

膳, トレー

한국어

작은 낮은 테이블, 쟁반

中文

小桌子, 托盘

id

meja kecil

th

โต๊ะเตี้ย

es

mesa baja

fr

table basse

de

niedriger Tisch

pt

mesa baixa

Common compounds

• お膳おぜんfour-legged tray for festive food
• 一膳いちぜんbowl (of rice), pair (of chopsticks)
• 陰膳かげぜんtray for absent one
• 本膳ほんぜんmain course (of a formal meal), extremely high-grade Japanese meal served all at once (on a table with legs)
• 客膳きゃくぜんlow tray of food for guests
• 配膳はいぜんsetting a place, setting the table
• 膳部ぜんぶfood (on a table; esp. a small Japanese table), dinner, cover (in a restaurant)
• 食膳しょくぜんdining table, a dish (type of food)