盆 means “Obon, tray, basin”

ぼん · bon

Also: lantern festival

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ボン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 9 strokes

The story

A dish (皿) with portions divided (分) on it: a tray. お盆 is both a serving tray and Obon, the summer days when families welcome their ancestors' spirits home. A 盆栽 is a tree grown in a tray, and Kyoto sits in a 盆地, a basin.

Used in お盆 (obon, Obon; tray), 盆踊り (bon odori, Bon festival dance), and 盆栽 (bonsai, bonsai)

More from Rites & Omens

• 凶 bad luck
• 宴 banquet
• 賓 honored guest
• 崇 revere
• 禍 calamity
• 厄 misfortune
• 詣 visit a shrine
• 吉 good luck
• 儀 ceremony
• 典 classic
• 賀 congratulations
• 斎 purification

Learn 盆 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.