鏡 餅(かがみもち)

かがみもち

noun

New Year's rice cake offering; mirror rice cake

1. New Year's rice cake offering

A traditional Japanese New Year decoration consisting of two round rice cakes stacked on top of each other, often topped with a bitter orange (daidai). Displayed as an offering to the gods during the New Year period.

鏡餅(かがみもち)を飾(かざ)る。

To display a kagami mochi.

年末(ねんまつ)に鏡餅(かがみもち)を買(か)ってきた。

I bought a kagami mochi at the end of the year.

鏡開(かがみびら)きの日(ひ)に鏡餅(かがみもち)を割(わ)って雑煮(ぞうに)にして食(た)べた。

On the day of kagami-biraki, we broke the kagami mochi and ate it in ozoni soup.

A key element of Japanese New Year (正月(しょうがつ)) traditions. The name comes from 鏡(かがみ) (mirror) because the round, flat shape resembles ancient bronze mirrors, which were considered sacred objects. The two stacked mochi represent the old and new years, or yin and yang.

Cultural note

Displayed from around December 28 until 鏡開(かがみびら)き (January 11 in most regions), when the mochi is broken open (never cut with a knife, as cutting is considered unlucky) and eaten. Modern versions sold in supermarkets are often plastic containers shaped like 鏡餅(かがみもち) with individually wrapped mochi inside.

Common collocations

鏡餅(かがみもち)を飾(かざ)る — to display kagami mochi
鏡餅(かがみもち)を供(そな)える — to offer kagami mochi (to the gods)
鏡開(かがみびら)き — the ceremony of breaking open the kagami mochi

Related words

餅(もち) — rice cake; the base material
雑煮(ぞうに) — New Year's soup with mochi
正月(しょうがつ)飾(かざ)り — New Year decorations (broader category)

Related Words

Related: 雑煮(ぞうに) (New Year's soup with mochi)

Related: 正月飾(しょうがつかざ)り (New Year decorations)

Related: 柏餅(かしわもち) (oak-leaf rice cake)

Related: しめ飾(かざ)り (New Year's rope decoration)

Compare: 切り餅(きりもち) (block mochi)

Related: 鏡開(かがみびら)き (breaking open of New Year's mochi)

general

Added 2026.3.26 10:19 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

19000/19469_kagamimochi