弁当箱（べんとうばこ、bentoubako）
- lunch box

The word 弁当箱 弁当箱 refers to a lunch box or a bento box. It's a container used to carry and store a packed lunch. It is typically designed with compartments to separate different foods.

⚫︎ 今日、新しい弁当箱を買いました。 Translation: I bought a new lunch box today. ⚫︎ 弁当箱にご飯とおかずを詰めました。 Translation: I packed rice and side dishes in the bento box. ⚫︎ ピクニックに弁当箱を持って行きました。 Translation: I took a lunch box to the picnic.

You use 弁当箱 弁当箱 when you are talking about the container used to hold a packed lunch. You might talk about what you put in it, the size, the material (plastic, metal, etc.), or where you take it (work, school, picnics). The word is appropriate in most situations, as long as the topic is lunch or a packed meal.

⚫︎ The word is typically written in kanji and hiragana: 弁当箱 弁当箱. ⚫︎ The kanji 弁当 means "packed lunch" or "bento". ⚫︎ The kanji 箱 means "box" or "container". ⚫︎ It is always written with the hiragana 箱. ⚫︎ There are no other ways to write this word. ⚫︎ There are no variations in the okurigana.

There aren't many direct synonyms, but depending on the context, you could use: ⚫︎ ランチボックス (ranchi bokkusu) - lunch box (borrowed word from English) ⚫︎ お弁当 (obento) - packed lunch (this is the lunch itself, not the box, but sometimes used loosely to refer to the box).

There are no direct antonyms for 弁当箱 弁当箱.

毎日、弁当箱に手作りの料理を詰めます。 ・Translation: Every day, I pack homemade food in my lunch box. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the daily routine of preparing a lunch for yourself or others, utilizing a 弁当箱.

この弁当箱はとても可愛らしいデザインですね。 ・Translation: This lunch box has a very cute design. ・Explanation: This sentence comments on the design of the 弁当箱 弁当箱, showing how it can be used to describe the appearance of the box itself.

The word is a combination of two words: 弁当 (bento), which originated in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) and referred to dried and preserved food. The second part, 箱 (hako), is simply the word for "box" or "container". Therefore, the word literally means "bento box" or "packed-lunch container".