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)()べた。
I ate a monaka.
この(みせ)最中(もなか)(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(かわ)(はさ)んだアイス最中(もなか)(なつ)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 (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)(かわ): the wafer shell of a monaka

NOTE:
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.