noun, noun, used as a suffix
General term for a small organized group, often used in schools, workplaces, or events. As a suffix, it attaches to numbers or descriptors (e.g., 1班, 研究班). The suffix may be voiced to ぱん in some compounds.
クラスを5つの班に分けた。
We divided the class into five groups.
彼は清掃班のリーダーだ。
He is the leader of the cleaning team.
noun, noun, used as a suffix
Military term for a squad or section, a small tactical unit.
その班は偵察任務についた。
The squad was assigned to a reconnaissance mission.
チーム emphasizes teamwork and cooperation, often in sports or projects, whereas 班 is more about organizational division.
The kanji 班 originally means 'to distribute' or 'group,' and the reading はん is the Sino-Japanese on'yomi. The voiced variant ぱん as a suffix is a common rendaku phenomenon.