also: さんぽう
three sides; three directions
Refers to three physical sides, three parties, or three directions. Common in set phrases like 三方を海に囲まれた (surrounded by sea on three sides).
The peninsula is surrounded by the sea on three sides.
small offering stand; three-sided tray
A small, three-sided wooden stand used in Shinto rituals to hold offerings such as rice, sake, or sacred paper. The open side faces the worshipper.
The Shinto priest placed the sacred sake on the offering stand.
This village is surrounded by mountains on three sides.
We placed the kagami mochi on a sanbō stand and offered it at the household shrine.
三方 (read さんぽう) is the small wooden offering stand used in Shinto rites, while 三宝 (also read さんぽう) is a Buddhist term for the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha); they are unrelated homophones.
Standard kanji spelling. The reading さんぼう is the most common; さんぽう is a less frequent variant.
Less common reading variant. Learners should prioritize さんぼう.
Composed of 三 (three) and 方 (direction/side). The reading さんぼう is a standard compound reading; the variant さんぽう reflects a less common phonetic shift.