餐
eat, drink, swallow
Readings
On'yomi
- サン
- ソン
Kun'yomi
- の.む
- くら.う
Meaning
餐 centers on the act of consuming food or drink: eating, drinking, and swallowing. It emphasizes the intake of nourishment.
Most common words using 餐
- 晩餐ばんさん
dinner (esp. a formal one)
- 聖餐せいさん
Holy Communion; Lord's Supper; Eucharist
- 餐さん
dining
- 主の晩餐しゅのばんさん
the Lord's Supper
- 分餐ぶんさん
distribution (of bread and wine during Communion)
- 加餐かさん
caring for one's health
- 午餐ごさん
lunch; luncheon
- 午餐会ごさんかい
luncheon party
- 尸位素餐しいそさん
neglecting the duties of an office while taking pay
- 愛餐あいさん
love feast; agape
- 愛餐会あいさんかい
love feast; agape
- 昼餐ちゅうさん
luncheon
- 晩餐会ばんさんかい
banquet; dinner party
- 最後の晩餐さいごのばんさん
the Last Supper
- 正餐せいさん
(Western-style) banquet; formal dinner
- 粗餐そさん
plain meal
- 素餐そさん
undeserved reward
- 聖餐式せいさんしき
Holy Communion; the Eucharist; the Lord's Supper
- 陪餐ばいさん
Lord's Supper (in Protestantism)
- 風餐露宿ふうさんろしゅく
living in the harsh outdoors; roughing it in the wilderness; enduring a difficult journey
Study
Etymology
餐 combines 食 (food/eat) with a phonetic component derived from 粲 (which itself contains 又 and 夕). The character likely originated as a phono-semantic compound where the upper part contributed the sound and the lower part indicated the meaning of eating.
Meaning mnemonic
The bottom is 食 (food/eat). The top looks like a hand (又) holding something at dusk (夕), suggesting a meal being consumed. Picture someone eating and drinking as the sun sets.
Reading mnemonic
For サン, imagine eating under the sun: sun -> サン, and you swallow your food while basking in sunlight.