1.
dregs; sediment; residue; lees
The solid matter left after liquid has been pressed or strained from a substance. Most commonly refers to sake lees (酒粕) or the residue from tofu production (おから).
酒粕で漬物を作る。
I make pickles with sake lees.
コーヒーの粕を捨てないでください。
Please don't throw away the coffee grounds.
鍋の底に粕がたまっていたので、きれいに洗った。
There was residue at the bottom of the pot, so I washed it thoroughly.
2.
worthless remnant; the worst part
Figuratively, something of no value — the leftover after everything good has been taken. Often used in the expression 絞りかす or 出がらし to describe someone or something drained of worth.
社会の滓だ。
The dregs of society.
搾り粕のような生活を送っている。
He's living a wrung-out, empty life.
あの会社は優秀な人材が辞めて、残ったのは粕ばかりだ。
The talented people quit that company, and only the dregs remain.
Written as 粕 for the physical residue sense (especially food-related) or 滓 for the figurative or general sense. In practice, hiragana かす is also common.
The most culturally significant usage is 酒粕 (sake lees), which is widely used in Japanese cooking — for marinades, soups (粕汁), and pickling (粕漬け). Sake lees are not waste but a valued ingredient.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 酒粕: sake lees
- 粕汁: soup made with sake lees
- 粕漬け: vegetables or fish pickled in sake lees
- 搾り粕: pressed residue; something wrung dry
- 出がらし: used tea leaves; something past its prime
- 食べ粕: food scraps, leftovers
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 残り: remainder — neutral; simply what is left over
- おから: okara, tofu lees — a specific food byproduct, not pejorative
- 沈殿物: sediment — scientific/technical term