1.
sugar confection; candy made primarily from sugar
Sweets or confections made with sugar as the main ingredient, such as rock candy, bonbons, fondant, or decorative sugar sculptures. Distinct from chocolate-based or rice-based confections.
砂糖菓子をお土産に買った。
I bought sugar confections as a souvenir.
この砂糖菓子は見た目が美しい。
These sugar confections are beautiful to look at.
職人が一つ一つ手作りした砂糖菓子が、ショーケースに並んでいる。
Sugar confections, each handmade by a craftsman, are lined up in the display case.
Composed of 砂糖 (sugar) and 菓子 (confection, sweets — voiced to がし through rendaku). Refers specifically to sweets where sugar is the primary ingredient and defining characteristic.
In Japanese confectionery tradition, 砂糖菓子 includes decorative items like 金平糖 (konpeito star-shaped sugar candy) and 飴細工 (candy sculpting). Western-style sugar crafts such as fondant decorations also fall under this term.
The word is also used figuratively in the expression 砂糖菓子のような to mean overly sweet or saccharine, describing something unrealistically pleasant.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 砂糖菓子のような: saccharine; overly sweet (figurative)
- 手作りの砂糖菓子: handmade sugar confections
- 砂糖菓子細工: sugar craft; decorative sugar work
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 飴: hard candy — a specific type of sugar sweet
- 和菓子: Japanese confections — broader category of traditional sweets
- 洋菓子: Western confections — broader category of Western-style sweets
- お菓子: snacks; sweets — the most general term