1.
reception room; parlor; sitting room for guests
A room in a home, office, or building designated for receiving and meeting with guests or visitors.
応接室でお待ちください。
Please wait in the reception room.
お客さまを応接室にご案内した。
I showed the guest to the reception room.
社長が応接室で取引先と打ち合わせをしているので、終わるまで入らないでください。
The president is having a meeting with a client in the reception room, so please don't go in until they're finished.
Composed of 応接 (reception, receiving guests) + 室 (room). Found in offices, larger homes, and institutional buildings. In a Japanese office, the 応接室 is typically furnished with sofas and a coffee table, separate from the open workspace.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 応接室に案内する: to show someone to the reception room
- 応接室で待つ: to wait in the reception room
- 応接室のソファー: reception room sofa
- 応接室に通す: to usher someone into the reception room
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 会議室: meeting room, conference room — for internal meetings
- 待合室: waiting room — in hospitals, stations, etc.
- 客間: guest room — in a Japanese-style home
- 応接間: reception room — synonym, slightly more old-fashioned