noun
tray; serving tray
A flat tray used for carrying or serving cups, dishes, and similar items. In everyday speech this is often said as お盆.
お盆に湯のみを載せて運んだ。
I put the teacups on a tray and carried them.
この古い用例では、盆が「一つの世帯」を指している。
In this old example, bon refers to a single household.
noun
Obon; Bon Festival; Festival of the Dead
Shortened from 盂蘭盆; refers to the Japanese Buddhist summer festival period when families honor ancestral spirits. お盆 is very common in conversation.
See also: 盂蘭盆
盆には親戚が集まる。
Relatives gather at Obon.
noun
gambler's den
Slang use for a place where gambling takes place; 賭場 is the more direct standard word.
俗語で「盆」は、ばくちを打つ場所を指すことがある。
In slang, bon can refer to a place where gambling is done.
Common prefixed form used in everyday speech; depending on context, it can mean either a tray or the Obon period.
A loanword for a tray, often used for modern serving trays or cafeteria trays; 盆 sounds more Japanese and traditional.
Fuller Buddhist term for the Obon festival; 盆 is the shortened form in the festival sense.
Standard word for a gambling den; 盆 in this meaning is slang and much less transparent to learners.
The kanji 盆 is conventionally associated with a tray or basin-like vessel. The festival meaning is marked as an abbreviation of 盂蘭盆; the deeper historical derivation is not specified here.