How to Say "Plate" in Japanese

皿

sara[sa̠ɾa̠]

The Japanese word for plate is 皿 (sara).

皿 refers to a flat dish.

Meaning: flat dish (noun)

How does it change in a sentence?

Adding the honorific prefix 'o-' to 皿 to create お皿 makes the word sound more polite and is very common when referring to tableware.

sara

The historical spelling of 皿 in the Nihon Shoki used the characters 娑羅, which were originally used purely for their sounds rather than their meaning.
In some traditional Japanese games or rituals, a 皿 is used as a surface for divination or to hold specific offerings to spirits.
The kanji 皿 is a pictograph that originally looked like a simplified drawing of a dish with a rim.

皿が必要だよ。
I need a plate.
This sentence shows how to express a need for a 皿.
Tatoeba #8822144 by small_snow, translation #8822122 by CK
この皿、汚ね。
This plate is dirty.
This sentence shows how to describe a 皿 as being dirty.
Tatoeba #11588958 by small_snow, translation #10739371 by Cabo
お皿が汚れています。
The plate is dirty.
This sentence shows a polite way to say a 皿 is dirty.
Tatoeba #2730929 by tommy_san, translation #2730922 by Hybrid
彼は料理を美しく皿に盛り付けました。
He beautifully plated the dish.
寿司を盆に並べてください。
Please arrange the sushi on the platter.
この皿にケーキを乗せて。
Put the cake on this plate.
22 more sentences on Tatoeba

Kenta and Misaki are setting the table for dinner.

健太 Kenta

皿を並べておくね。
Sara o narabete oku ne.
I'll set out the plates.
美咲 Misaki

ありがとう、健太さん。
Arigatō, Kenta-san.
Thank you, Kenta.
健太 Kenta

美咲さんは箸を持ってきてくれる？
Misaki-san wa hashi o motte kite kureru?
Misaki, could you bring the chopsticks?
美咲 Misaki

はい、すぐ持っていくわ。
Hai, sugu motte iku wa.
Yes, I'll bring them right away.

Sources

Wiktionary, “plate” translations and entries 皿, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries 皿, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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