食堂(しょくどう)

しょくどう
noun
cafeteria, dining hall
1. cafeteria, dining hall, canteen
A place serving simple, affordable meals, often found in schools, offices, or as small eateries.
学校(がっこう)の食堂(しょくどう)で昼(ひる)ごはんを食(た)べます。
I eat lunch at the school cafeteria.
この食堂(しょくどう)は安(やす)くておいしいです。
This eatery is cheap and delicious.
社員(しゃいん)食堂(しょくどう)は12時(じ)から開(あ)きます。
The employee cafeteria opens at 12.
大学(だいがく)の食堂(しょくどう)は学生(がくせい)でいつも混(こ)んでいます。
The university cafeteria is always crowded with students.
大衆(たいしゅう)食堂(しょくどう)で昼食(ちゅうしょく)を食(た)べた。
I ate lunch at a casual eatery.
食堂(しょくどう)のメニューは日替(ひが)わりです。
The cafeteria menu changes daily.
2. dining room
A room in a house or building used for eating meals.
食堂(しょくどう)は家族(かぞく)が集(あつ)まる大切(たいせつ)な場所(ばしょ)です。
The dining room is an important place where the family gathers.
食堂(しょくどう)にテーブルを置(お)いた。
I put a table in the dining room.
食堂(しょくどう)で朝食(ちょうしょく)を取(と)ります。
I have breakfast in the dining room.
食堂(しょくどう)の照明(しょうめい)を変(か)えた。
I changed the dining room lighting.
新(あたら)しい家(いえ)の食堂(しょくどう)は広(ひろ)くて、窓(まど)から庭(にわ)が見(み)えます。
The dining room in our new house is spacious, and you can see the garden from the window.

食堂(しょくどう) has two senses: a cafeteria/eatery (sense 1) and a dining room in a home (sense 2). The word combines 食(しょく) (eat) + 堂(どう) (hall).

COMMON COMPOUNDS (sense 1):

  • 学生(がくせい)食堂(しょくどう): student cafeteria (often shortened to 学食(がくしょく))
  • 社員(しゃいん)食堂(しょくどう): company cafeteria (社食(しゃしょく))
  • 大衆(たいしゅう)食堂(しょくどう): casual working-class eatery

SENSE DISTINCTION:

  • As 'cafeteria/eatery': emphasizes affordable, simple meals in an institutional or no-frills setting
  • As 'dining room': the room in a house where meals are eaten (more formal than 台所(だいどころ) which is the kitchen)

CONTRAST:

  • レストラン: restaurant (more upscale)
  • 食堂(しょくどう): cafeteria or casual eatery (simpler, cheaper)
core
Added 2026.1.7 21:33 · Revised 2026.3.26 13:30
01000/01054_shokudou