Where does “Obon” come from?
Obon (English) comes from Japanese お盆, from Japanese 盆, from Japanese 盂蘭盆, from Middle Chinese 盂蘭盆.
Ancestry of “Obon”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Japanese | お盆 | a tray |
| 2 | Japanese | 盆 | a tray; a flat earthenware pot, bowl, or basin;... |
| 3 | Japanese | 盂蘭盆 | A Buddhist observance honoring the spirits of... |
| 4 | Middle Chinese | 盂蘭盆 | — |