箱
Meaning in Englishbox
Animated kanji stroke order
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Word context
What it means
箱 (hako) means a box: a bounded receptacle used to hold, protect, or present objects. In everyday Japanese it denotes a physical container with sides (often a lid) that serves practical functions such as storing, packaging, transporting, or displaying items, and it frequently appears in compound nouns to specify types of containers.
Main meanings
- 1. used as a suffix in compounds to indicate a purpose-built container for a specific function (naming specialized boxes rather than describing shape).
- 2. figurative use to describe categorical limits or mental frameworks (a metaphorical 'box' or constraint).
- 3. commercial unit meaning a packaged set or shipment measured by box-count rather than individual items.
- 4. small, decorative or gift-focused containers emphasizing presentation rather than mere storage.
How to use it
Appears across daily life and registers: for household storage, retail packaging, shipping and logistics, gift wrapping and presentation, and specialized purposes (e.g., document or ballot containers); neutral in tone as a concrete noun, it also combines with other words to form technical or colloquial terms naming specific container types and is used with counters when quantifying boxed goods.
Variants and close terms
- ケース (keesu) — case (loanword frequently used for plastic or protective cases)
- 容器 (youki) — container (broader term for vessels and receptacles)
- 匣 (hako) — archaic or literary variant meaning small box or chest
Composition
The kanji is a phono-semantic compound: the upper radical 竹 (take) evokes bamboo or objects made from bamboo, while the lower element 相 (sou) supplies the phonetic cue; combined they historically pointed to boxes or containers often constructed from bamboo materials, yielding the modern meaning 'box'.
Origin
Boxes as physical objects have long existed in Japan, traditionally made from bamboo, wood, or woven materials; the Chinese character was borrowed into Japanese writing to label these local containers, and over centuries boxes became central to storage, gift presentation, packaging and certain ritual or official uses.
Word class
noun (名詞)