The Meaning of kashi [菓子] In Japanese

菓子
かし
Romaji: kashi N5

What does 菓子 mean?

Translation and Meaning

sweets, confections, candy; snacks

Definition

菓子 means sweets or confectionery. It denotes a broad category of edible sweet treats, including candies, pastries, and other desserts, used in everyday Japanese to refer to any sweet snack without specifying traditional forms.

Type

Noun (菓子)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • General category of sweets or confections, including candy, pastries, and desserts
  • Used for sweets offered as gifts or served at events and gatherings
  • In everyday usage it contrasts with 和菓子 (wagashi) for traditional Japanese sweets and with 洋菓子 (yōgashi) for Western-style confections

Etymology

菓 historically signals sweets or fruit-related foods; 子 acts as a nominal suffix; the compound is read kashi in modern Japanese.

Origin

菓子 has appeared in classical Japanese texts and markets from early periods; its broad sense expanded in the Edo period with the growth of the confectionery trade, and today it denotes sweets in general.

Composition

  • 菓: a character linked to sweets; used in compounds to denote confectionery
  • 子: a common nominal suffix forming nouns; in 菓子 it helps turn the concept into a thing that can be eaten

Usage

Used as a general noun for sweet foods in formal and casual contexts; common in menus, shop names, and product labeling; often followed by qualifiers to specify type, such as 和菓子 (wagashi) or 洋菓子 (yōgashi).
💡 Tips
Visual mnemonic: 菓 shows a plant-top radical with something fruit-like beneath, hinting at fruit-based sweets; 子 acts as a suffix that turns the idea into a noun for edible things. Remember the two syllables ka-shi to recall this word together with its meaning of sweets.

Variations

  • 和菓子 (wagashi) — traditional Japanese sweets
  • 洋菓子 (yōgashi) — Western-style confections
  • お菓子 (okashi) — everyday generic term for sweets; romaji okashi

Example Phrases

  • 昨日、友達に菓子を分けてあげた。
    kinou, tomodachi ni kashi o wakete ageta.
    Yesterday, I shared sweets with a friend.
    Lista:
    • 昨日 (kinou) – yesterday
    • 友達に (tomodachi ni) – to a friend
    • 菓子を (kashi o) – sweets
    • 分けて (wakete) – share
    • あげた (ageta) – gave
    Core: 「菓子」 is a noun meaning sweets and here it is the direct object marked by を; 分けてあげた means ‘to share/give with someone’.
  • 彼は箱から残らずお菓子を食べた。
    Kare wa hako kara nokorazu okashi o tabeta.
    He ate all the candy from the box.
    Lista:
    • 彼は (kare wa) – he
    • 箱から (hako kara) – from the box
    • 残らず (nokorazu) – without leaving behind
    • お菓子を (okashi o) – candy
    • 食べた (tabeta) – ate
    「残らず」 means ‘without leaving any behind; entirely,’ here it modifies 食べた to show they ate all the candy.
菓子