Meaning & readings
seat, mat, occasion, place
Origin
This character appears to combine the idea of a woven mat or fabric with the concept of a designated place. The left side suggests textile or woven material, while the right portion indicates a person or occupant. Together, they form the image of someone sitting on a mat or occupying a specific spot, which developed into the meaning of a seat or place. The character's evolution reflects how a physical object—the mat itself—came to represent not just the material but the idea of a designated position or occasion where someone would sit.
AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Pictographic or simple.
Components
This character is treated as a single, undivided shape (席).
Common words
- 宴席 えんせき banquet; dinner party
- 寄席 よせ entertainment hall (for rakugo, manzai, magic, music, etc.); vaudeville theater (theatre)
- 議席 ぎせき parliamentary seat
- 客席 きゃくせき guest seating (e.g. theater, stadium); passenger seat (e.g. taxi)
- 空席 くうせき empty seat; unoccupied seat
- 欠席 けっせき absence; non-attendance
- 座席 ざせき seat (esp. in public places or places with assigned seating); seating
- 次席 じせき associate; junior
Reference
- Strokes
- 10
- Kangxi radical
- 50
- Grade
- Grade 4 (Kyōiku)
- Frequency rank
- #370 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 2
- Unicode
- U+05E2D