The kanji ［飯］ primarily represents "cooked rice" or "meal." It refers to food, particularly the staple food of many East Asian cultures. The meaning extends to include any cooked grains consumed as a meal.

・On-yomi (音読み): はん (han) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): めし (meshi)

⚫︎ご飯 Translation: Cooked rice; meal; food. ⚫︎朝ご飯 Translation: Breakfast. ⚫︎昼ご飯 Translation: Lunch.

The kanji ［飯］ is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The semantic component is 食 (shoku), which means "to eat" or "food." The phonetic component is 反 (han), which contributes the sound "han." The combination of these elements created the character meaning "cooked rice" or "meal," associating food with the act of eating and the sound. The historical development shows the character gradually refining its form but retaining the core association with sustenance and food preparation.