弁当

• 読み: べんとう
• ローマ字: bentou
• 漢字の分解: 弁 (ben) — speech, petal (ateji); 当 (tou/ataru) — hit, right (ateji)
• 発音: /beɴ.toː/

意味

Box lunch; a packed meal in a container, a staple of Japanese food culture.

A noun for a portable, compartmentalised meal. Types include: 駅弁 (ekiben, train station bento), 手作り弁当 (tezukuri bentou, homemade bento), コンビニ弁当 (konbini bentou, convenience store bento), 幕の内弁当 (makunouchi bentou, traditional multi-dish bento). Making bento is an important daily ritual for many Japanese families, especially for school children and working adults.

例文

1. 毎朝子供のために弁当を作っている。
2. 今日は弁当を持ってこなかったのでコンビニで買った。
3. 新幹線で駅弁を食べるのが旅の楽しみだ。

使い方ガイド

場面: meals, school, travel

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

The word 弁当 is thought to derive from a Southern Song Chinese term 便當 (convenient/handy). The kanji are ateji assigned for phonetic value. Bento culture flourished from the Edo period onward.

文化的背景

時代: Edo period

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal