Chabudai Table Guide: Chabudai vs Zataku vs Kotatsu, and How to Choose

Quick answer: A chabudai is a small, usually round Japanese table with short legs, made for sitting around on the floor. A zataku is a larger, usually rectangular low table with fixed legs, and a kotatsu is a low table with a heater underneath and a quilt to keep the warmth in. If you want an everyday low table for a living room, a round chabudai-style coffee table is the most flexible of the three.

Key takeaways

• Chabudai: small, round, often with folding legs, for family meals and tea.
• Zataku: bigger, rectangular and fixed, for formal rooms and larger groups.
• Kotatsu: a heated table with a quilt, mainly used in winter.
• Many Japanese low tables are around 30 to 35 cm high, much lower than a dining table.
• Choose the size by how many people gather round it and whether you sit on the floor or a sofa.

What is a chabudai table?

A chabudai is a short-legged Japanese table, traditionally round, that a household sits around on the floor.

It became a familiar sight in Japanese homes in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when families moved from eating at individual trays to sharing one table. Because the legs on many traditional chabudai fold away, the same room could be a dining room at mealtimes and a living or sleeping space afterwards. The image of the family chabudai is so familiar that chabudai gaeshi, an angry father flipping the dinner table, became a well-known scene in Japanese television and manga.

Today the name is also used for modern low tables inspired by that shape: round, low and made for gathering close together. Our Chabudai Coffee Table is one of these, a round coffee table that brings the idea into a living room with a sofa as easily as one with floor cushions.

What is the difference between a chabudai, a zataku and a kotatsu?

All three are low Japanese tables, but they differ in size, shape and whether they are heated.

A zataku (from za, seat, and taku, table) is usually larger and rectangular, with fixed legs. You often see one in a tatami room or a traditional inn, with legless floor chairs or flat cushions around it. A kotatsu is a low table with a heater fixed under the top; a quilt goes between the frame and the tabletop and drapes over the legs of everyone sitting at it, which makes it a winter favourite. A chabudai is the everyday table of the three: smaller, round and simple.

	Chabudai	Zataku	Kotatsu
Usual shape	Round	Rectangular	Square or rectangular
Size	Small to medium	Medium to large	Small to medium
Legs	Short, often folding	Short and fixed	Short, with a frame for the quilt
Heated	No	No	Yes, with a heater under the top
Best for	Everyday meals, tea, small rooms	Formal rooms and larger groups	Cold rooms in winter
Season	All year	All year	Mainly winter

Which low table is right for you?

Choose by how you will use it: a chabudai for everyday flexibility, a zataku for a bigger, more formal space, and a kotatsu only if you want a heated table for winter.

• You want a coffee table that can also host tea or a meal on the floor. A round chabudai-style table is the easiest to live with. Its rounded edge is kind to knees and easy to sit around from any side.
• You have a long sofa or a large room. A rectangular low table, closer to a zataku, fills the space in front of a long sofa better than a small round top.
• Your room is cold in winter and you sit on the floor. A kotatsu is made for exactly that. Our low tables are unheated, so they are year-round tables rather than kotatsu.
• Your room has to do several jobs. A lighter, smaller table is easier to move aside when you need the floor space.

How high should a Japanese low table be?

Low enough to use comfortably while sitting on the floor, which for many Japanese low tables means around 30 to 35 cm.

That is noticeably lower than most dining tables, and a little lower than many Western coffee tables. If you sit on floor cushions, a table in this range puts your plate or cup at a natural height. If you sit on a sofa, a low table still works well as a coffee table; just check you can reach it without stretching.

Several of our coffee tables sit in this range: the Kofuku Coffee Table is 33 cm high in its small and medium sizes and 30 cm in large, the Ureshii Coffee Table and the tea table in the Kuro Coffee Table set are 35 cm high, and the Orbit Coffee Table is 30 cm high.

What size chabudai do you need?

Pick the top size by how many people will gather around it and how much floor space you have.

Leave enough room to walk around the table and for everyone to sit without knocking knees. A smaller round top suits one or two people and a compact room; a larger top leaves more space for shared dishes when friends or family sit round together. If the table will mainly sit in front of a sofa, a common rule of thumb is a top about two-thirds the length of the sofa, which often points to a rectangular table for longer sofas.

The Chabudai Coffee Table comes with a round top of 70, 80 or 90 cm in a light or brown finish, and there is also a side table version at 50 or 60 cm. Its product page shows the size photos for each version.

Which Nisu Home low tables work like a chabudai?

Any low table you can sit around works in the chabudai spirit; these are the closest in our range.

Table	Shape	Sizes on the product page	Material
Chabudai Coffee Table	Round	70, 80 or 90 cm top; side table 50 or 60 cm	Pine wood
Kofuku Coffee Table	Round, with rattan detailing	60 × 60 × 33 cm, 80 × 80 × 33 cm or 110 × 110 × 30 cm	Ash wood and rattan
Ureshii Coffee Table	Square, herringbone top	60 × 60 × 35 cm, or a larger 80 cm version, 35 cm high	Wood
Kuro Coffee Table	Tea table and side table, used together or apart	Tea table 82 × 57 × 35 cm; side table 72 × 50 × 35 cm	Ash wood
Orbit Coffee Table	Rounded, with a hidden drawer	Coffee table 85 cm wide, 30 cm high; side table 50 cm wide, 45 cm high	Wood (MDF)
Goto Coffee Table	Round top on a wooden base	Large 70 cm wide, 35 cm high; small 50 cm	Marble and oak wood

The Kofuku is the closest to a traditional round chabudai in feel, with its warm wood and woven rattan. The Kuro set is useful if you like the zataku idea of a longer table: its tea table and side table can sit together as one larger surface or apart. You can see every option in our coffee tables collection.

How do you style a chabudai in a Japandi living room?

Keep it simple: a low table, soft seating at the right height, natural materials and plenty of space around it.

• Match the seating height. Floor cushions or a low sofa keep everyone at the same level as the table.
• Use a rug to define the area. A flat-woven or natural-fibre rug under the table makes the space feel like a room within the room.
• Keep the top clear. A teapot and cups, a single vase or a small stack of books is enough. The table should look ready to use.
• Repeat the wood tone. Echo the table's finish in a shelf, a side table or a lamp base so the room feels considered.
• Set it for meals. Small bowls, plates and chopstick rests suit the low height. Our Japanese tableware guide explains how to set a Japanese table.

If you are pulling a whole room together, our guide to what Japandi style is covers the colours, materials and pieces that make the look.

Frequently asked questions

What is a chabudai table?

A chabudai is a short-legged Japanese table, traditionally round, that a household sits around on the floor for meals, tea and conversation. Many traditional chabudai have legs that fold away, so the table can be stood against a wall and the room used for something else.

What is the difference between a chabudai and a zataku?

A chabudai is usually a smaller, round table with folding legs, made for everyday family meals. A zataku is usually a larger, rectangular low table with fixed legs, often found in tatami rooms and paired with legless floor chairs.

What is the difference between a chabudai and a kotatsu?

A kotatsu has a heater fixed under the tabletop and a quilt laid between the frame and the top to hold the warmth in, so it is mainly a winter table. A chabudai has no heater or quilt and is used all year round.

How tall is a Japanese low table?

Japanese low tables are made for sitting on the floor, so they are much lower than a dining table, and many are around 30 to 35 cm high. If you will sit on a sofa rather than a floor cushion, check that the table is still easy to reach.

Can I use a chabudai as a coffee table?

Yes. A low, round table works well in front of a sofa or among floor cushions, and its rounded edge is easy to move around. The Nisu Home Chabudai Coffee Table is a modern coffee table inspired by the traditional chabudai, in 70, 80 or 90 cm round tops.

Are Nisu Home low tables made to order?

Yes. Each piece is made to order for you, and its product page shows the delivery time. Before it ships, we send you photos and videos of the finished piece, and we only ship once you are happy with it.