ピクニック

• Reading: ピクニック
• Romaji: pikunikku
• Pronunciation: /pi.kɯ.nik.kɯ/

Meaning

Picnic; an outing to eat outdoors, typically in a park or natural setting.

A loanword from English referring to an outdoor recreational meal. In Japan, picnics are especially popular during hanami (cherry blossom viewing) season and autumn foliage season. Japanese picnics often feature bento boxes, onigiri, and thermos drinks rather than Western-style sandwiches. ピクニックに行く (pikunikku ni iku, to go on a picnic) is the standard expression.

Examples

1. 天気がいいから公園でピクニックをしよう。 The weather's nice, so let's have a picnic in the park.
2. お弁当を持ってピクニックに出かけた。 We packed lunch and headed out for a picnic.
3. 家族でピクニックをするのが週末の楽しみだ。 Having a family picnic is something I look forward to on weekends.

Usage Guide

Context: leisure, outdoors, weekends

Tone: cheerful

Origin & History

Borrowed from English 'picnic,' which itself came from French pique-nique. Adapted into Japanese katakana as ピクニック.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal