朝御飯
あさごはん · asagohan · JLPT N5 · noun
breakfast
🌅🍚 朝御飯 = morning (asa) + honorific go + cooked rice/meal (han)
Asa means morning; gohan is cooked rice, which doubles as the everyday word for a meal. So breakfast is literally the morning meal. Swap the first part for the other meals: hirugohan (lunch), bangohan (dinner).
朝 — 十 + 日 + 十 + 月 (sun rising among grass, moon fading)
Originally a pictograph showing the sun (日) rising among grass or trees with the moon (月) still visible, depicting dawn. The core meaning 'morning' (zhāo) was extended to 'dynasty' or 'court audience' (cháo), since officials gathered before the ruler at daybreak.