Meaning
宴 means feast, banquet, or celebratory gathering. In modern Japanese, it covers formal occasions where food, drinks, and company mark something significant — wedding receptions, company year-end parties, promotion dinners. The word implies shared abundance and a sense of occasion, separating it from an ordinary meal or casual get-together.
Structurally, 宴 breaks into two parts: the 宀 radical (roof) on top, and 晏 (peaceful, calm) below. That lower component 晏 itself combines 日 (sun) and 女 (woman). Stack those pieces and an image emerges: a woman at rest under the sun, sheltered inside a house — the unhurried warmth of a gathering under a welcoming roof.
Written with 10 strokes, 宴 belongs to the 宀 (roof) radical family alongside 家 (house), 室 (room), 安 (peace), and 宮 (palace). Not taught until high school, 宴 belongs to formal, literary, and business Japanese rather than casual everyday speech.
Historically, 宴 filled classical literature and court records — imperial feasts, aristocratic celebrations, diplomatic banquets. Today it still marks formal occasions: wedding invitations, company event notices, newspaper coverage of official receptions.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is エン (en), used almost entirely in compound words (熟語, jukugo). You will rarely see 宴 standing alone with this reading. Business parties, wedding receptions, official dinners — エン is the reading for formal written Japanese, and it is the one you need cold for N1.
- 宴会 (enkai) — banquet, party; the standard everyday word for a company party, drinking gathering, or formal dinner
- 披露宴 (hirōen) — wedding reception; literally a "showing and announcing feast," this term appears on every Japanese wedding invitation
- 祝宴 (shukuen) — celebratory banquet; used for promotions, awards, and commemorations
- 酒宴 (shuen) — drinking party, sake feast; a formal or literary expression for a gathering centered around alcohol
- 饗宴 (kyōen) — grand feast, banquet; a more elevated, literary word for a splendid gathering, often appearing in historical or ceremonial contexts
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi is うたげ (utage), the older native Japanese word for feast. Where 宴会 (enkai) sounds like a work party on a Friday night, うたげ evokes something more classical — moonlit poetry gatherings, springtime hanami feasts, the banquets of ancient court literature. You will find it in song lyrics, poetry, historical fiction, and formal speeches where the speaker reaches for something more elegant than 宴会.
- 宴 (utage) — feast, banquet (used as a standalone literary word)
- 春の宴 (haru no utage) — spring banquet; a classic literary image of hanami-style celebration
- 夜の宴 (yoru no utage) — night feast; an evening banquet with a romantic or classical flavor
Common Words & Compounds
宴 shows up across formal, business, and literary Japanese in a range of compound words. These are worth knowing for N1 reading, news articles, and professional correspondence.
Everyday and Business Contexts:
- 宴会 (enkai) — banquet, dinner party; the most common word for a company party or organized drinking gathering after work
- 宴会場 (enkaijō) — banquet hall; a large room in a hotel or restaurant designed for receptions and parties
- 宴席 (enseki) — banquet seat; the formal term for one's place at a feast, or the banquet setting itself
- 宴会費 (enkaihi) — banquet expenses; the cost of hosting or attending a party
Celebratory and Social Contexts:
- 披露宴 (hirōen) — wedding reception; an essential term for anyone living or working in Japan
- 祝宴 (shukuen) — celebratory banquet; held for promotions, achievements, and special milestones
- 歓迎宴 (kangei-en) — welcome banquet; a feast held to officially welcome a new employee, guest, or partner
- 送別宴 (sōbetsu-en) — farewell banquet; a party held when a colleague transfers, retires, or moves away
Literary and Formal Contexts:
- 饗宴 (kyōen) — grand feast; a lofty, literary word used in historical texts and elevated prose
- 酒宴 (shuen) — drinking party; an older, more formal expression for a sake-centered feast
- 宴楽 (enraku) — feasting and merrymaking; the music, joy, and entertainment woven into a banquet
- 夜宴 (yaen) — evening banquet; a feast held after dark, often with a romantic or ceremonial tone
Example Sentences
今夜は会社の宴会があります。
Konya wa kaisha no enkai ga arimasu.
There is a company banquet tonight.
披露宴のスピーチを頼まれました。
Hirōen no supīchi wo tanomaremashita.
I was asked to give a speech at the wedding reception.
宴会場は二百人を収容できます。
Enkaijō wa nihyaku-nin wo shūyō dekimasu.
The banquet hall can accommodate two hundred people.
送別宴で、彼女へのメッセージカードを渡した。
Sōbetsu-en de, kanojo e no messēji kādo wo watashita.
At the farewell banquet, I handed her a message card.
春の宴に招待されて、とても光栄です。
Haru no utage ni shōtai sarete, totemo kōei desu.
I am truly honored to be invited to the spring banquet.
歓迎宴は来週の金曜日に開かれます。
Kangei-en wa raishū no kin'yōbi ni hirakaremasu.
The welcome banquet will be held next Friday.
王様は豪華な饗宴を開いた。
Ōsama wa gōka na kyōen wo hiraita.
The king held a magnificent feast.
宴席では、お酒を飲みすぎないようにしよう。
Enseki de wa, o-sake wo nomisuginai yō ni shiyō.
At the banquet, let's try not to drink too much sake.
宴会の幹事として、会場を予約した。
Enkai no kanji to shite, kaijō wo yoyaku shita.
As the organizer of the banquet, I reserved the venue.
祝宴の最後に、花火が打ち上げられた。
Shukuen no saigo ni, hanabi ga uchiagerareta.
At the end of the celebratory banquet, fireworks were set off.
Memory Tip
Break the character apart: 宀 is a roof, 日 is the sun, 女 is a woman. A woman at ease under the sun, sheltered inside a house — that image is the meaning: an unhurried feast in a welcoming space.
For エン: think of "entertain." Hosting guests lavishly with food and drink is throwing a 宴. For うたげ: notice it opens with うた, the word for song (歌). Feasts and music have gone hand in hand in Japanese tradition for centuries — that overlap makes the reading stick.