円卓

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 円卓 (えんたく) is a compound noun for a table with a circular top.
• Basic usage: 円卓を囲んで話す makes the table the object participants sit around, while 木製の円卓が置かれる makes the furniture at the room’s center the subject placed there.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Discussion arrangement and physical furniture
  • 円卓を囲む highlights an inclusive circular arrangement, whereas 木製の円卓 identifies material. The noun does not refer only to a round-table meeting as an event.