便

• Reading: びん
• Romaji: bin
• Kanji breakdown: 便 (ben/bin) — convenience, flight, post
• Pronunciation: /biɴ/

Meaning

Flight; service; a scheduled transportation or mail delivery service.

When read as びん, this noun refers to a scheduled transportation or mail service. Key compounds: 101便 (hyakuichi bin, flight 101), 航空便 (koukuubin, airmail), 船便 (funabin, sea mail), 定期便 (teikibin, regular/scheduled service). Different from the reading べん, which means convenience or bodily function. The びん reading specifically relates to scheduled transit, delivery, and communication routes.

Examples

1. 午後三時の便で東京に向かう予定だ。 I'm planning to head to Tokyo on the 3 PM flight.
2. この荷物は航空便で送ってください。 Please send this package by airmail.
3. 次の便は一時間後に出発します。 The next flight departs in one hour.

Usage Guide

Context: travel, postal service, transportation

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 便 combines 亻 (person) and 更 (change/renew), originally meaning 'to send a message' — a person carrying something to its destination. The transport meaning developed from this messenger sense.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal