1.
dinner party; meal gathering; get-together over a meal
A social gathering centered on sharing a meal together, typically at a restaurant or in someone's home. Less formal than a banquet (宴会) and usually smaller in scale, often held to celebrate an occasion, welcome or farewell someone, or simply deepen relationships.
Formed from 食事 (meal) + 会 (gathering, meeting). A general-purpose term for any meal-centered social event, less ceremonial than 宴会 (banquet) and less purely social than 飲み会 (drinking party).
Usage
- Used for a wide variety of occasions: family get-togethers, business lunches, celebration meals, introductions between families before marriage.
- The venue can be a restaurant, private dining room, or home.
- In business contexts, a 食事会 with clients or colleagues is typically more formal than a 飲み会 and the focus is on conversation and relationship-building rather than drinking.
Common collocations
- 食事会を開く: to hold a dinner gathering
- 食事会を行う: to conduct a meal gathering (more formal)
- 食事会に招く: to invite (someone) to a meal gathering
- 食事会に参加する: to participate in a meal gathering
- 歓迎食事会: welcome dinner gathering