How to say "feast" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 祭りまつりnounCovers the festive, public sense of feast as part of a festival or celebration. Best when the feast is tied to a community festival or matsuri, rather than a single formal meal.
- 宴うたげnounCovers the banquet sense of feast, meaning a party with plentiful food and drink. A poetical term, so it suits literary or elevated description more than everyday speech.
- 饗宴きょうえんnounCovers the feast or banquet sense, typically a formal gathering where guests are entertained and treated to food and drink. Fits official or grand occasions of feasting.
- 一席いっせきnounCovers the feast sense only loosely: its core senses are a sitting or a speech, so it can mean a meal or banquet, often one involving a talk or address, but it is not the default word for a feast.
- 祝宴しゅくえんnounCovers the feast sense specifically as a celebratory banquet, such as one held to mark a wedding, promotion, or other happy occasion. Use it when the feast celebrates something.
Choose by the nature of the occasion: 「祭り」 for festive community festivals, 宴 for a poetic banquet, 饗宴 for formal feasting, 一席 for a meal with speech or entertainment, and 祝宴 for celebratory banquets.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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