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.
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