柏餅(かしわもち)

かしわもち
noun
oak-leaf rice cake
food
1. oak-leaf rice cake
A traditional Japanese confection consisting of a flat rice cake filled with sweet bean paste and wrapped in an oak leaf. Eaten during Children's Day (May 5).
子供(こども)の日(ひ)に柏餅(かしわもち)を食(た)べる。
We eat kashiwa mochi on Children's Day.
和菓子屋(わがしや)で柏餅(かしわもち)を買(か)ってきた。
I bought kashiwa mochi from a Japanese confectionery shop.
柏(かしわ)の葉(は)は新芽(しんめ)が出(で)るまで落(お)ちないので、柏餅(かしわもち)は子孫(しそん)繁栄(はんえい)の縁起物(えんぎもの)とされている。
Because oak leaves don't fall until new buds appear, kashiwa mochi is considered a good-luck charm for the prosperity of one's descendants.

A seasonal Japanese sweet closely associated with 端午(たんご)の節句(せっく) (Boys' Day / Children's Day, May 5). The oak leaf (柏(かしわ)の葉(は)) wrapping is symbolic: because oak trees hold their old leaves until new growth appears, the leaf represents the continuity of family lineage.

Cultural note

Traditionally eaten on May 5th as part of Children's Day celebrations. The filling is typically 餡子(あんこ) (sweet red bean paste), though 味噌餡(みそあん) (sweet miso paste) is also common. The leaf is not eaten — it serves as a wrapper and imparts a subtle aroma.

Common collocations

  • 柏餅(かしわもち)を食(た)べる — to eat kashiwa mochi
  • 柏餅(かしわもち)を作(つく)る — to make kashiwa mochi
  • こし餡(あん)の柏餅(かしわもち) — kashiwa mochi with smooth bean paste

Related words

  • 鏡餅(かがみもち) — New Year's rice cake offering; a different seasonal mochi
  • 桜餅(さくらもち) — cherry blossom rice cake; a spring sweet wrapped in a cherry leaf
  • 粽(ちまき) — rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves; also eaten on May 5th

Related Words

Related: 鏡餅(かがみもち) (New Year's rice cake offering)
Related: 桜餅(さくらもち) (cherry blossom rice cake)
Related: 草餅(くさもち) (mugwort rice cake)
Compare: 笹団子(ささだんご) (sasa dango)
general
Added 2026.3.26 10:25 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
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