宴会（えんかい、enkai）
- banquet

The Japanese word 宴会 （えんかい） refers to a party, banquet, or social gathering, usually involving food, drinks, and entertainment. It’s a common term for various social occasions. The emphasis is on the festive and celebratory aspect of the gathering. It is often used to describe events where people come together to socialize, celebrate, or commemorate something.

⚫︎ 会社の新年会 Translation: Company New Year's party ⚫︎ 結婚式の宴会 Translation: Wedding reception ⚫︎ 歓迎会 Translation: Welcoming party

⚫︎ Use 宴会 when talking about parties, receptions, or banquets. ⚫︎ It’s applicable for both formal and informal settings, although the specific context of the party might influence the level of formality. ⚫︎ You can use 宴会 in a variety of situations to describe gatherings where people eat, drink, and socialize.

⚫︎ The standard way to write 宴会 is with the kanji 宴 (meaning banquet or feast) and 会 (meaning meeting or gathering), with the hiragana reading えんかい. ⚫︎ There are no common variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ パーティー (pātī) - Party (loanword) ⚫︎ 飲み会 (nomikai) - Drinking party ⚫︎ 集まり (atsumari) - Gathering ⚫︎ 祝賀会 (shukugakai) - Celebration party

While there isn't a direct antonym, words describing the opposite type of gathering might be: ⚫︎ 告別式 (kokubetsushiki) - Funeral ⚫︎ 会議 (kaigi) - Conference/Meeting (if it's strictly business)

明日は会社の忘年会がある。 ・Translation: Tomorrow, there is a year-end party at the company. ・Explanation: This sentence describes an upcoming year-end party, commonly held by Japanese companies.

田中さんは宴会の準備を手伝ってくれた。 ・Translation: Tanaka helped with the preparations for the party. ・Explanation: This sentence expresses that Tanaka assisted in organizing the event.

⚫︎ The word 宴会 is a compound word formed from the kanji 宴 and 会. ⚫︎ 宴 originally described a banquet or feast, indicating a celebratory gathering. ⚫︎ 会 means meeting or gathering. ⚫︎ Combined, they create the meaning of a social gathering with food, drink, and entertainment.