鉄板(てっぱん)

てっぱん
noun
iron plate; griddle; sure thing
tool
1. iron plate; steel plate; griddle
A flat piece of iron or steel. In cooking, refers to the flat griddle used for teppanyaki and other grilled dishes.
熱(あつ)い鉄板(てっぱん)の上(うえ)で肉(にく)を焼(や)く。
Grill meat on a hot iron plate.
お好(この)み焼(や)きは大(おお)きな鉄板(てっぱん)で焼(や)くのが一番(いちばん)おいしい。
Okonomiyaki tastes best when cooked on a large griddle.
工事(こうじ)現場(げんば)の道路(どうろ)に鉄板(てっぱん)が敷(し)かれていた。
Steel plates were laid on the road at the construction site.
2. sure thing; guaranteed; can't-miss
Something that is absolutely certain to succeed or be good. Colloquial slang derived from the idea of something being as solid and reliable as an iron plate.
このネタは鉄板(てっぱん)だ。
This joke is a guaranteed hit.
彼(かれ)の料理(りょうり)はどれも鉄板(てっぱん)でおいしい。
Every dish he makes is a sure hit.
初心者(しょしんしゃ)にはこのコースが鉄板(てっぱん)だから、間違(まちが)いない。
This course is the go-to choice for beginners — you can't go wrong.

Usage

Sense 1 is the literal meaning used in cooking and construction. Sense 2 is colloquial slang popular in entertainment and casual speech, meaning something is absolutely reliable or guaranteed to succeed.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS (sense 1):

COMMON PATTERNS (sense 2):

  • 鉄板(てっぱん)ネタ (a surefire joke/topic)
  • 鉄板(てっぱん)メニュー (a can't-miss menu item)
  • 鉄板(てっぱん)コース (a guaranteed-good course/plan)

Register

Sense 2 originated in comedy and entertainment circles and has spread to general informal usage. It is not appropriate in formal writing.

Related Words

Compare: 銅板(どうばん) (copper plate)
Compare: 焼(や)き網(あみ) (grilling net)
general
Added 2026.3.1 19:03 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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