banquet

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 宴 conveys a feast or banquet.
• Basic usage: 宴会（えんかい） means a banquet or company dinner, while 宴（うたげ） means a feast or banquet.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Overlapping meanings and different readings
  • In the example, 宴会の会場 is the banquet venue, while 宴会 itself means a banquet or company dinner. In this compound, 宴 is read えん.
  • The standalone word 宴 is read うたげ and is used for a harvest feast or a king's banquet.