Meaning
The kanji 箱 means box, case, chest, or trunk — any rigid, enclosed container used to store, carry, or organize things. You'll encounter it constantly in Japanese daily life: on product packaging, post office signs, school supply lists, and in casual conversation.
The character has two clear parts. The top is the radical 竹 (take), meaning bamboo, visible as the two short strokes at the very top. Below it sits 相 (sō/ai), meaning mutual or appearance. Bamboo was the standard material for storage boxes across ancient East Asia — light, strong, and easy to split into flat panels. The combination of bamboo radical with 相 as a phonetic element follows that same logic. In modern Japanese, however, 相 is just a structural trace; the kun'yomi hako is what everyone actually says.
At 15 strokes, this is a moderately complex character. It's a Grade 3 elementary school kanji — children learn it early because boxes are everywhere: lunch boxes, pencil cases, toy chests. At N3, you're expected to recognize it and its major compounds.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is ショウ (SHŌ). You will almost never encounter it. It survives only in classical or highly specialized texts, not in everyday speech or modern writing. Treat 箱 as a kun'yomi-only kanji for all practical purposes.
No common compound words use the ショウ reading in contemporary Japanese. When 箱 appears in compounds, it always takes the kun'yomi form — either hako or its voiced variant bako.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The primary reading is はこ (hako) — the word used in everyday speech. When 箱 follows another element in a compound, it usually voices to ばこ (bako) through rendaku, a common sound change where the initial consonant of the second word softens.
Examples using はこ (hako):
箱 (hako) — a box (standalone or first element in a compound)
Examples using the rendaku form ばこ (bako):
本箱 (honbako) — bookcase, bookshelf
弁当箱 (bentōbako) — lunch box
宝箱 (takarabako) — treasure chest
小箱 (kobako) — small box (rendaku applies here too: はこ→ばこ)
Common Words & Compounds
箱 pairs freely with other words to name specific types of containers. Here are the most useful ones, grouped by category.
Everyday containers:
- 箱 (hako) — box, case (general term)
- 小箱 (kobako) — small box; common for jewelry or gift wrapping
- 空箱 (karabako) — empty box
- 木箱 (kibako) — wooden box or crate
Storage and organization:
- 本箱 (honbako) — bookcase, bookshelf
- 巣箱 (subako) — birdhouse, nesting box
- 道具箱 (dōgubako) — toolbox
- 救急箱 (kyūkyūbako) — first aid kit
Food and daily life:
- 弁当箱 (bentōbako) — bento box, lunch box
- 宝箱 (takarabako) — treasure chest
- 郵便箱 (yūbinbako) — mailbox
Shape and material:
- 箱型 (hakogata) — box-shaped, rectangular
- 段ボール箱 (danbōrubako) — cardboard box
Place name:
- 箱根 (Hakone) — the famous hot spring resort in Kanagawa Prefecture, near Mt. Fuji. Recognizing the kanji is handy when reading train signs or travel guides.
Example Sentences
この箱の中に何が入っていますか？
Kono hako no naka ni nani ga haitte imasu ka?
What's inside this box?
大きな段ボール箱を運んでください。
Ōkina danbōrubako wo hakonde kudasai.
Please carry the large cardboard box.
本箱に本を並べた。
Honbako ni hon wo narabeta.
I lined the books up on the bookcase.
彼女は小さな箱にプレゼントを入れた。
Kanojo wa chiisana hako ni purezento wo ireta.
She tucked the gift into a small box.
郵便箱に手紙が届いていた。
Yūbinbako ni tegami ga todoite ita.
A letter had arrived in the mailbox.
救急箱はどこにありますか？
Kyūkyūbako wa doko ni arimasu ka?
Where's the first aid kit?
子供たちはゲームの箱を開けて大喜びした。
Kodomotachi wa gēmu no hako wo akete ōyorokobi shita.
The kids tore open the game box and cheered.
この木箱は古くて傷だらけだが、まだ使える。
Kono kibako wa furukute kizudarake da ga, mada tsukaeru.
This wooden box is beat-up and scratched all over, but it still holds together.
宝箱を開けると、中には金貨がたくさんあった。
Takarabako wo akeru to, naka ni wa kinka ga takusan atta.
When they opened the treasure chest, it was packed with gold coins.
Memory Tip
Picture a bamboo craftsman slicing thin strips and pressing them into a flat, square container. The top of 箱 is literally 竹 (bamboo), sitting above the structure like a lid — and that image is historically accurate. Bamboo boxes were standard storage items across ancient East Asia.
For the sound: hako rhymes roughly with "pack-o," and a box is exactly what you pack things into. Whenever you spot those two short strokes at the top of a kanji (the bamboo radical ⺮), it often signals something traditionally crafted from bamboo — boxes, baskets, flutes, writing brushes.