How to say "cafe" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- nounThe default word for a cafe or coffeehouse, typically a stylish modern establishment serving coffee, drinks, and light meals. Choose this when picturing the kind of cafe the English word usually refers to.
- 喫茶店きっさてんnounA Japanese-style coffee shop or tearoom where customers sit and are served coffee, tea, and simple food. It covers the coffeehouse sense of 'cafe' and is the natural choice for traditional sit-down coffee shops.私たちは喫茶店で昼食をとった。↗We ate lunch in a coffee lounge.
- nounA marginal match for 'cafe': the gloss also gives 'snack shop', and the word is seldom what you want for an ordinary cafe. It really refers to a parlor, such as an ice-cream or milk parlor.
Use 「カフェ」 for a modern-style cafe serving coffee and light meals, 喫茶店 for a Japanese-style coffee shop or tearoom, and 「パーラー」 mainly for older or specialized uses such as ice-cream parlors rather than everyday cafes.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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