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道Nihongo Path
宴

宴·banquet

On-yomi
エン
Kun-yomi
うたげ

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

10 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
宴会えんかいbanquet, party
披露宴ひろうえんwedding reception
祝宴しゅくえんcelebratory banquet
宴うたげfeast, banquet (literary)

Example sentences

  1. 金曜日に会社の宴会があります。

    きんようびにかいしゃのえんかいがあります。

    There's a company party on Friday.

  2. 友人の披露宴に招待された。

    ゆうじんのひろうえんにしょうたいされた。

    I was invited to a friend's wedding reception.

  3. 夜が更けるまで宴が続いた。

    よがふけるまでうたげがつづいた。

    The feast went on until late in the night.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 披露宴 as ひろえん — it is ひろうえん
  • Reading the standalone 宴 as えん — as a word on its own it is うたげ

Memory aid

Picture it

Under the roof 宀, the sun 日 over a seated woman 女 — a household lit up and hosting guests: a banquet.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 宴 mean?