席 means “seat”

せき · seki

Also: mat, occasion, place

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

むしろ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

セキ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 4 · 10 strokes

The story

Cloth (巾) spread under a roof (广): 席 began as a woven mat, the place to sit at a gathering. Today it is any seat, and on the Shinkansen you choose 指定席, reserved, or 自由席, first come first served.

Used in 出席 (shusseki, attendance), 座席 (zaseki, seat), and 指定席 (shiteiseki, reserved seat)

More from At the Office

• 労 labor
• 号 number
• 具 tool
• 勤 work for
• 部 part
• 約 promise
• 務 duty
• 機 machine
• 予 beforehand
• 件 matter
• 任 entrust
• 係 person in charge

Learn 席 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.