箱
Meanings
The basic meaning is a container with sides, such as a box, case, chest, package, pack, or crate. Used for both everyday small boxes and larger containers.
I put the shoes away in a box.
A large box has arrived at the entrance.
train car; railway car
A specialized extension referring to a car or carriage of a train or similar vehicle. In ordinary everyday speech, 車両 is the safer standard word.
In railway work, a single car may be called a hako.
shamisen case; shamisen
A limited traditional-entertainment use: 箱 can refer to a shamisen case, and by extension to the shamisen itself. This is not the normal everyday word for a shamisen.
In the geisha entertainment world, a shamisen or its case may be called a hako.
public building; community building
Colloquial and often written ハコ. Commonly has a slightly critical nuance when talking about public or community buildings as physical facilities, especially costly construction projects.
See also: 箱物
Rather than building a new public facility, we want to make use of the facilities we already have.
That town keeps building impressive public facilities and little else.
man who carried a geisha's shamisen
Archaic geisha-district usage for a man whose job was to carry a geisha's shamisen. The related word 箱屋 names this occupation more explicitly.
See also: 箱屋
In old records of the geisha world, a man who carried a geisha's shamisen may be called a hako.
waste receptacle; feces
Archaic use referring either to a receptacle for human waste or to feces itself. This is not a normal modern everyday use of 箱.
In old texts, hako can refer to a toilet receptacle or to feces.
counter for boxes; counter for boxed items
Used after numbers as a suffix or counter for boxes or quantities packaged in boxes.
I ordered three boxes of mandarin oranges.
I bought one box of medicine in advance.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉を箱に入れるto put something into a box
I put the birthday present in a box and wrapped it.
- 箱を開けるto open a box
The child excitedly opened the present box.
- 〈物〉を〈数〉箱買うto buy a certain number of boxes of something
I bought two boxes of mandarin oranges.
Expressions
- パンドラの箱Pandora's box
- パンドラの箱を開けるopen Pandora's box