eminent · table

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 卓 can mean a table or excellence; its on-reading is たく.
• Basic usage: In 食卓 it refers to a dining table; in 卓球 it refers to the table used for table tennis.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The small っ in table tennis
  • 卓球 is read たっきゅう. Unlike the ending in 食卓, read しょくたく, the end of 卓 becomes a small っ.
• Scope of the Korean learning gloss
  • Do not interpret 食卓 only through the Korean learning gloss meaning high. In this word, the table sense is central.