重箱

Japanese

重箱 (jūbako, rare reading: kasanebako): square jūbako with lid.

重箱 (jūbako, rare reading: kasanebako): hexagonal jūbako used to serve food.

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
重	箱
かさ(ね) Grade: 3	はこ > ばこ Grade: 3
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese. Compound of 重ね (kasane, “a pile, a tier, a ply”) +‎ 箱 (hako, “a box”), the first element being the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of classical verb 重ぬ kasanu, modern 重ねる kasaneru, “to make a pile of something, to stack something up”. The hako changes to bako as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

This reading appears to be rare.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ka̠sa̠ne̞ba̠ko̞]

Noun

重(かさね)箱(ばこ) • (kasanebako) 

1. (rare) tiered boxes for holding and presenting food, such as 弁当 (bentō, “bento”) or New Year's お節 (osechi, special dishes usually only served at the new year)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
重	箱
じゅう Grade: 3	はこ > ばこ Grade: 3
jūbakoyomi

Origin less clear. Chinese-derived on'yomi 重 (jū, “to stack”) + Old Japanese 箱 (hako, “box”). The hako changes to bako as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

This is the standard reading for this term.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) じゅうばこ [jùúbákó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑɨːba̠ko̞]

Noun

重(じゅう)箱(ばこ) • (jūbako) ^{←ぢゆうばこ (dyuubako)?}

1. tiered boxes for holding and presenting food, such as 弁当 (bentō, “bento”) or New Year's お節 (osechi, special dishes usually only served at the new year)

   These are traditionally made of wood and often lacquered, coming in sets designed to stack two, three, or even more layers high. Often square, jūbako may also come in different shapes. A set usually comes with a lid for the top layer.

Idioms

Idioms

• 重箱(じゅうばこ)で味噌(みそ)を擂(す)る (jūbako de miso o suru): “grind miso in a jūbako” → don't sweat the small stuff; excellent appearance, but inappropriate to the task at hand
• 重箱(じゅうばこ)に鍋蓋(なべぶた) (jūbako ni nabebuta): “a pot-lid on a jūbako” → a square peg in a round hole
• 重箱(じゅうばこ)に煮染(にし)め (jūbako ni nishime): “boiled stew in a jūbako” → looks great on the outside, not so good on the inside: appearances can be deceiving
• 重箱(じゅうばこ)の隅(すみ)を杓子(しゃくし)で払(はら)え (jūbako no sumi o shakushi de harae): “clear out the corners of a jūbako with a ladle” → to see the forest for the trees, don't sweat the small stuff
• 重箱(じゅうばこ)の隅(すみ)を楊枝(ようじ)でほじくる (jūbako no sumi o yōji de hojikuru): “to pick out the corners of a jūbako with a toothpick” → to split hairs
• 重箱(じゅうばこ)を擂(す)り粉木(こぎ)で洗(あら)う (jūbako o surikogi de arau): “clean a jūbako with a pestle” → see the forest for the trees, don't sweat the small stuff

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 重(じゅう)箱(ばこ)読(よ)み (jūbakoyomi): A reading of a kanji compound, consisting of an on'yomi for the first kanji and a kun'yomi for the second kanji.
• 重(じゅう)箱(ばこ)面(づら) (jūbakozura): a square face