最 中

もなか

noun

monaka (wafer-shell sweet)

1. monaka; wafer-shell sweet filled with bean paste

A traditional Japanese confection of sweet adzuki-bean paste sandwiched between two thin, crisp wafer shells made from glutinous rice.

最中(もなか)を食(た)べた。

I ate a monaka.

この店(みせ)の最中(もなか)は皮(かわ)がパリパリでおいしい。

This shop's monaka has a wonderfully crisp shell.

アイスを皮(かわ)に挟(はさ)んだアイス最中(もなか)は夏(なつ)の定番(ていばん)だ。

Ice-cream monaka, with ice cream packed into the wafer shells, is a summer staple.

A wagashi (Japanese sweet) made of 餡(あん) (bean paste) between two crisp rice-flour wafers. Modern versions may use ice cream or other fillings.

Common collocations

アイス最中(もなか): ice-cream monaka
最中(もなか)の皮(かわ): the wafer shell of a monaka

Usage

The same characters are also read さいちゅう (最中(さいちゅう)), meaning "in the middle of (doing something)" — a completely different word. The sweet is always もなか.

general

Added 2026.5.24 12:09 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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