デスク

ですく
noun
desk; (newspaper) desk editor
1. a desk; a piece of furniture used as a workspace, typically for writing, reading, or computer work in an office, school, or home study
The English loanword for a work desk. In Japanese it usually refers to a Western-style office or study desk used in workplaces and modern homes, as opposed to the traditional low writing table 机(つくえ), although the two words overlap heavily in everyday speech. デスク is especially common in business contexts and product names.
新(あたら)しいデスクを買(か)った。
I bought a new desk.
デスクの上(うえ)を片付(かたづ)けてください。
Please tidy up the top of your desk.
在宅勤務用(ざいたくきんむよう)に、広(ひろ)くて高(たか)さの調節(ちょうせつ)できるデスクを探(さが)している。
I'm looking for a wide, height-adjustable desk for working from home.
2. a desk editor; a senior journalist at a newspaper or broadcaster who supervises reporters and edits their stories
A specialized journalism sense. The desk editor at a Japanese newspaper or TV news department is the mid-level editor who reviews articles, gives assignments, and oversees a group of reporters from a desk in the newsroom. The role is roughly equivalent to a city editor or section editor in English-language news organizations.
その記事(きじ)はデスクのチェックを受(う)けてから掲載(けいさい)される。
That article will be published after it has been checked by the desk editor.
社会部(しゃかいぶ)のデスクから、至急(しきゅう)現場(げんば)に向(む)かうよう指示(しじ)を受(う)けた。
I received instructions from the city-news desk editor to head to the scene immediately.
若手記者(わかてきしゃ)が書(か)いた原稿(げんこう)を、ベテランのデスクが丁寧(ていねい)に直(なお)していった。
The veteran desk editor carefully revised the article that the young reporter had written.

The English loanword 'desk', borrowed mainly for two purposes: the piece of office furniture, and a senior editor's role in a newsroom. Sense 1 is by far the most common in everyday Japanese.

USAGE:
For sense 1, デスク overlaps with the native word 机(つくえ). 机(つくえ) is the more general and traditional word, used freely for school desks, study desks, low writing tables, and so on. デスク has a slightly more modern, office-furniture flavour and is preferred when describing Western-style workstations, in product catalogues, and in expressions like パソコンデスク and オフィスデスク.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS (sense 1):

  • デスクに向(む)かう: to sit down at one's desk; to get to work
  • デスクに座(すわ)る: to sit at a desk
  • デスクを整理(せいり)する: to organize one's desk
  • デスクワーク: desk work, office work (a wasei-eigo compound)
  • デスクトップ: desktop (computer)
  • パソコンデスク: computer desk
  • オフィスデスク: office desk
  • 昇降式(しょうこうしき)デスク: height-adjustable (sit-stand) desk

COMMON COLLOCATIONS (sense 2):

  • デスクの指示(しじ): instructions from the desk editor
  • デスクの確認(かくにん)を取(と)る: to get the desk editor's approval
  • 社会部(しゃかいぶ)デスク: city-news desk editor
  • 現場(げんば)デスク: on-site desk editor

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 机(つくえ): desk, table — the native word, broader and more neutral; preferred for school desks and traditional writing tables.
  • 事務机(じむづくえ): office desk — a more formal native equivalent of オフィスデスク.
  • 編集者(へんしゅうしゃ): editor — a general word for any kind of editor (books, magazines, news); デスク is specifically the supervising editor in a newsroom.
  • {キャップ}: cap — in journalism slang, the leader of a small reporting team in the field, ranking below a デスク.

REGISTER:
Neutral. Sense 2 is journalism jargon and is used both inside news organizations and in articles or memoirs about the industry.

general
Added 2026.4.12 10:47
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