饌
food, offering
Readings
On'yomi
- セン
- サン
Kun'yomi
- そな.える
Meaning
饌 centers on food prepared and presented with care, especially as an offering or formal meal. The idea of offering extends naturally from the act of setting out food for a purpose.
Most common words using 饌
- 予饌会よせんかい
farewell meeting; send-off
- 献饌けんせん
food offering to the gods
- 神饌しんせん
food and alcohol offering to the gods
- 酒饌しゅせん
food and (alcoholic) drink
- 食饌しょくせん
food served on a table (esp. food served on a small Japanese table)
- 飯饌パンチャン
banchan; side dishes accompanying a typical Korean meal
- 饌せん
food offering to the gods
- 饌米せんまい
offering of consecrated rice
Study
Etymology
饌 combines 飠 (food) with 巽, which likely contributes the sound and may relate to selecting or arranging, fitting the idea of prepared food offerings.
Meaning mnemonic
The food radical 飠 on the left and the complex right side 巽, which looks like a selection of items arranged on a stand, together suggest carefully chosen food set out as an offering.
Reading mnemonic
For セン, imagine a chef named Sen carefully arranging a food offering: Sen -> セン, and his hands prepare the meal.