盆 — “Basin / Lantern Festival / Tray” in Japanese

Master (高手)ぼん

Radical ⽫ · radical 108 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Basin / Lantern Festival / Tray” in Japanese is 盆, read bon (ぼん). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as お盆 (Obon festival).

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What does 盆 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	盆
Meaning	Basin / Lantern Festival / Tray
Readings	ぼん
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	お盆 (Obon festival)

How to read 盆

盆 is read bon (ぼん) depending on the word.

Words with 盆

お盆

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Updated: 2026-08-28