Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Get the Kotomora apps for iOS and Android.

Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides About Support Privacy

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

重箱 (じゅうばこ, juubako) Japanese meaning: jūbako | Kotomora

重じゅう箱ばこ

じゅ

う

ば

こ

Common word›Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

jūbako; multi-tiered food box

A traditional Japanese lacquered container with stacked compartments, used for serving food on special occasions such as New Year's.

お正しょう月がつには、重じゅう箱ばこにおせち料りょう理りを詰つめ

ます

。

For New Year's, we pack osechi dishes into a jūbako.

Usage patterns

〈物もの〉を重じゅう箱ばこに詰つめるto pack food into a jūbako
お正しょう月がつに食たべるおせちを重じゅう箱ばこに詰つめた。
I packed the osechi food for New Year's into the jūbako.
重じゅう箱ばこを重かさねるto stack the tiers of a jūbako
重じゅう箱ばこを三さん段だん重かさねて祝いわいの席せきに出だした。
We stacked three tiers of the jūbako and served it at the celebration.

Expressions

重じゅう箱ばこの隅すみtrifles; insignificant details
重じゅう箱ばこの隅すみをつつくnitpick; complain about trifles
重じゅう箱ばこの隅すみをほじくるnitpick; complain about trifles
重じゅう箱ばこの隅すみをようじでほじくるnitpick; split hairs; complain about trifles

Kanji

重heavy, important, esteem
箱box, chest, case

Related words

重じゅうN2
重箱 is the full word for a multi-tiered lacquer food box, while 重 is its casual, abbreviated form used once the context is clear.

Politeness

お重じゅうpolite 丁寧語
お重 is a softer, everyday way to refer to a 重箱, often used by women or in casual conversation, while 重箱 is the neutral, dictionary term.

Don't confuse with

弁べん当とう箱ばこ
弁当箱 is a single-person lunch box for everyday use, whereas 重箱 is a formal, multi-tiered lacquered box brought out for special occasions like New Year's.
おせち
重箱 is the tiered box that おせち is served in, not the food itself, so learners sometimes mix up the container and the contents.

Counted with

段だんN3
For tiers and levels — shelf levels, drawers, stacked boxes.
個こN5
The all-purpose counter for small discrete objects, used when no more specific counter applies.
箱はこN5
Counts boxfuls (一箱 = one box).

Word family

提さげ重じゅう箱ばこ
multi-tiered food boxes that can be carried by hand
重じゅう箱ばこ読よみ
mixed on-kun kanji reading

Built from

重じゅう+箱はこ

Etymology

Compound of 重 (jū, 'stacked' or 'layered') and 箱 (hako, 'box'), with rendaku voicing hako → bako. The reading じゅう is the on'yomi of 重.