三
san[sã̠ɴ]
In Japanese, the English word 'trey' (referring to a playing card) is expressed as 三 (san).
Note that in Japanese, the word 'tray' (a container for carrying items) is used in phrases such as 木のトレイ (wooden tray), お皿のトレイ (tray for plates) or 紙のトレイ (paper tray).
Meaning: playing card (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting trays, the counter 枚 (mai) is generally used.
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the number 三 is central to the concept of 三方よし (sanpō-yoshi), a business philosophy where a deal must benefit the buyer, the seller and society.
- In traditional Japanese playing cards called 花札 (hanafuda), the number 三 is often represented by specific seasonal imagery rather than a numeral.
- The Japanese word for 'three' has two distinct lineages: one borrowed from Middle Chinese and a native Old Japanese version.
Examples in context
- カフェでトレイを使ってお客様にお飲み物を運びます。I use a tray to serve drinks to customers in the cafe.
- 料理の盆にお寿司を盛り付けました。I arranged the sushi on the serving tray.
- パーティーでお盆を使ってお菓子を運びます。I use a tray to carry sweets at parties.
- トレイ一枚One tray
- トレイ三枚Three trays
- トレイ十枚Ten trays
- 三のカードを引いた。San no kādo o hiita.I drew the three card.
- ここに三がある。Koko ni san ga aru.There is a three here.
- 三を出してください。San o dashite kudasai.Please play the three.
Example conversation
Two people are playing a card game at a cafe.
- 陽葵 Himari次は私の番ね。Tsugi wa watashi no ban ne.It's my turn next.
- 蓮 Renじゃあ、三を出して。Jaa, san o dashite.Then, play the three.
- 陽葵 Himariはい、三を出したよ。Hai, san o dashita yo.Okay, I played the three.
- 蓮 Ren僕も三を出そう。Boku mo san o dasou.I will play a three too.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 三, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 三, CC BY-SA 4.0.
