The kanji 宴 primarily signifies "banquet," "feast," or "reception." It evokes a sense of celebration, gathering, and often implies the enjoyment of food, drink, and entertainment among a group of people. The core meaning revolves around a social event marked by festivity and conviviality.

・On-yomi (音読み): エン (en) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): うたげ (utage)

⚫︎宴会 (enkai) Translation: Banquet; party; reception. ⚫︎晩餐会 (bansankai) Translation: Dinner party; banquet. This often implies a formal and elegant gathering. ⚫︎盛大な宴 (seidai na utage) Translation: A grand feast or banquet. This describes a lavish and significant celebration.

The kanji 宴 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). ⚫︎ The character combines the radical 宀 (うかんむり, ukanmuri), which represents a roof or house, indicating a place. ⚫︎ The other part of the character is 安 (an), meaning "peace," "ease," or "comfort." ⚫︎Therefore, 宴 combines the idea of a roof or house 宀 with the idea of being at peace or at ease 安, suggesting a place of comfort and enjoyment, thus representing a banquet or feast.