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).
子供の日に柏餅を食べる。
We eat kashiwa mochi on Children's Day.
和菓子屋で柏餅を買ってきた。
I bought kashiwa mochi from a Japanese confectionery shop.
柏の葉は新芽が出るまで落ちないので、柏餅は子孫繁栄の縁起物とされている。
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 端午の節句 (Boys' Day / Children's Day, May 5). The oak leaf (柏の葉) wrapping is symbolic: because oak trees hold their old leaves until new growth appears, the leaf represents the continuity of family lineage.
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
Traditionally eaten on May 5th as part of Children's Day celebrations. The filling is typically 餡子 (sweet red bean paste), though 味噌餡 (sweet miso paste) is also common. The leaf is not eaten — it serves as a wrapper and imparts a subtle aroma.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 柏餅を食べる — to eat kashiwa mochi
- 柏餅を作る — to make kashiwa mochi
- こし餡の柏餅 — kashiwa mochi with smooth bean paste
RELATED TERMS:
- 鏡餅 — New Year's rice cake offering; a different seasonal mochi
- 桜餅 — cherry blossom rice cake; a spring sweet wrapped in a cherry leaf
- 粽 — rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves; also eaten on May 5th