座る
すわる
suwaru
= to sit; to sit down; to take a seat
座る (suwaru) is one of the most fundamental action verbs in Japanese — the word for sitting down that appears in everything from polite invitations to seating yourself on a tatami mat, and whose conjugations lay bare the mechanics of godan verbs for beginner learners.
座る means ‘to sit’ or ‘to sit down’ and is an intransitive godan verb (Group 1). Its te-form is 座って (suwatte), past form is 座った (suwatta), and negative is 座らない (suwaranai). The verb describes the act of taking a seated position — not the state of being seated (which uses 座っている, suwatte iru, or simply 座っている). Common polite requests include 座ってください (suwatte kudasai, please sit down) and お座りください (osuwari kudasai, a more formal invitation to be seated). In contrast, the state of sitting is expressed as 座っています (suwatte imasu, I am sitting / I am seated). The verb applies to sitting on chairs, floors, cushions (座布団, zabuton), and tatami — it is fully context-neutral with respect to the type of seat.
Don’t confuse the act of sitting — 座る (suwaru, to sit down) — with the resulting state — 座っている (suwatte iru, to be sitting). This act-vs-state distinction applies to many Japanese verbs of change and is a frequent source of learner errors. Also note the polite command form: the command 座れ (suware) sounds very blunt or commanding; prefer 座ってください or 座りましょう (suwarimashyou, let’s sit) in everyday polite use. In formal contexts, お座りください (osuwari kudasai) is the standard phrase.
座 is a richly layered kanji built from 广 (roof/shelter), two 人 (person) radicals side by side, and 土 (earth/ground). The image is of two people seated on the ground beneath a roof — a scene of communal resting. The kanji appears in compounds like 座席 (zaseki, seat), 座布団 (zabuton, floor cushion), 銀座 (Ginza, Tokyo’s famous district — literally ‘silver seat’), and 正座 (seiza, the formal kneeling posture). The standalone kanji 座 also means a theatrical troupe or a constellation, reflecting the same sense of people gathered together.
Everyday use
どうぞ座ってください。
Douzo suwatte kudasai.
Please, have a seat.
Formal / Cultural context
お客様、こちらにお座りください。
Okyakusama, kochira ni osuwari kudasai.
Dear guest, please take a seat here.
Casual / Social Media
電車でお年寄りが乗ってきたから席を譲ったよ。座ってくれてよかった。
Densha de otoshiyori ga notte kita kara seki wo yuzutta yo. Suwatte kurete yokatta.
An elderly person got on the train so I gave up my seat. I’m glad they sat down.
Sitting carries significant cultural weight in Japan, particularly through the practice of 正座 (seiza) — the formal kneeling posture where one sits on their heels with the tops of the feet flat on the floor. Seiza is required in traditional tea ceremony, when receiving a scolding from a superior, or during formal tatami-room situations. While younger generations increasingly sit cross-legged or use legless chairs (座椅子, zaisu) on tatami, seiza remains the mark of respect and formality. Saying someone is 正座させられた (seiza saserareta, was made to do seiza) implies they received a serious lecture or reprimand.
The floor-based sitting culture of Japan — shaped by centuries of tatami living — gives 座る a different cultural dimension than in Western contexts where chairs are the default. Traditional Japanese rooms have no chairs; guests sit on floor cushions (座布団, zabuton) and the host serves tea from a kneeling position. Even in modern Japan, floor seating survives in izakayas with tatami rooms, traditional restaurants, and many homes, making 座る a verb that carries both everyday practicality and a thread of cultural continuity.