Several parts combine into one character.

祭 is a triple-component compound ideograph: at the top, 又 (a hand) holding 月 (flesh / meat); at the bottom, 示 (an altar). The composite reads as "a hand placing meat on the altar" = sacrificial rite, ancestral worship. The character preserves the entire scene of ancient East Asian religious ritual — the offering of meat to the spirits — in three stacked components. From this solemn ritual origin grew the secular extension: festival, celebration, public gathering with offerings.

Korean reading "je." 祭祀 (jesa, ancestral rite — the formal ceremony of honoring deceased ancestors with food offerings, performed especially on death anniversaries and major holidays like Chuseok and Lunar New Year; central to Korean Confucian family practice), 祭禮 (jerye, ritual ceremony), 祝祭 (chukje, festival), 祭壇 (jedan, altar). Korean Confucian ancestral 제사 has been simplified or abandoned by many modern families but remains a major cultural touchstone.

Mandarin jì, 4th tone. 祭 (jì, to offer sacrifice), 祭祀 (jìsì, sacrificial rite), 祭奠 (jìdiàn, "to hold a memorial" — used for state ceremonies and funeral observances), 祭品 (jìpǐn, sacrificial offering). Modern Mandarin retains 祭 in formal religious and memorial vocabulary; secular festivals are usually 节 (jié) instead.

Japanese on-reading サイ (sai) — 祭日 (saijitsu, festival day / public holiday), 文化祭 (bunkasai, "culture festival" — a uniquely Japanese institution where every middle school, high school, and university hosts an annual 文化祭, a multi-day public showcase with student performances, food stalls, and exhibitions; central to Japanese coming-of-age memories and depicted in countless anime). Kun-reading まつり (matsuri) is one of the most beloved words in Japanese: 祭り (matsuri, festival — Japan's shrine festivals are called matsuri, with thousands held annually nationwide). Major matsuri include 祇園祭 (Gion Matsuri, Kyoto, July), 天神祭 (Tenjin Matsuri, Osaka), 阿波踊り (Awa Odori, Tokushima), and 仙台七夕祭り (Sendai Tanabata). Summer matsuri with 夏祭り (natsumatsuri) firework displays, yukata, and food stalls is a defining Japanese seasonal experience.

Memory aid: hand placing meat on an altar — sacrificial offering became the festival.