膳

• Reading: ぜん
• Romaji: zen
• Kanji breakdown: 膳 (zen) — meal, tray, serving table
• Pronunciation: /zeɴ/

Meaning

Small dining table; meal tray; a set meal. Also used as a counter for meals.

A noun referring to a traditional Japanese individual dining tray or small low table used to serve food. Also functions as a counter for servings of rice or meals: 一膳 (ichizen, one serving/one pair of chopsticks). Common compounds: お膳 (ozen, meal tray, polite), お膳立て (ozendate, making preparations). Evokes traditional Japanese dining culture where each person receives their own tray.

Examples

1. お膳の上にきれいに料理が並んでいた。 The dishes were beautifully arranged on the meal tray.
2. ご飯を一膳おかわりした。 I had a second serving of rice.
3. 旅館で出されたお膳は豪華だった。 The meal tray served at the traditional inn was luxurious.

Usage Guide

Context: traditional dining, ryokan, cooking

Tone: traditional

Origin & History

The kanji 膳 combines 月 (flesh/food radical) and 善 (good), suggesting a well-prepared food arrangement. Originally referred to the act of preparing food before evolving to mean the tray itself.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal