What words to express “cutlery” in Japanese?
カトラリー、シルバー、フォークセット、ナイフやフォーク、お箸セット
刃物
We can distinguish two meanings of the word ‘cutlery’ according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries.
Japanese uses different expressions for each meaning.
1. knives, forks and spoons, used for eating and serving food
the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries
We can say カトラリー、シルバー、フォークセット、ナイフやフォーク、お箸.
2. knives, etc. that are sharp
the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries
We can say 刃物.
Advanced Tips
Japanese doesn’t have a word that can accurately expresses the first meaning .
So, we can use katakana, which directly translates the English sound, including カトラリー.
We can use シルバー in the same way because it’s common to use silverware in North American English.
However, the words カトラリー and シルバー are usually used by those who work in restaurants.
I mean, customers don’t use them much.
Customers use words like フォーク類,フォークセット,ナイフやフォーク,お箸.
So if you want a waiter to bring your cutlery, you can say something like this,
すみません。フォーク類を持ってきてもらえますか？
And in Japanese restaurants,
すみません。お箸を持ってきてもらえますか？
