みたらし

みたらし
noun
sweet soy glaze (on dango)
food
1. mitarashi; sweet soy sauce glaze
A glossy sweet-savory sauce of soy sauce, sugar, and starch, brushed over grilled 団子(だんご) (dumplings) skewers. Short for みたらし団子(だんご), the sauce is also used as a general name for the dish itself.
みたらしを食(た)べた。
I ate mitarashi (dango).
みたらしのたれは甘辛(あまから)い。
The mitarashi glaze is sweet and savory.
屋台(やたい)で焼(や)きたてのみたらし団子(だんご)を買(か)った。
I bought freshly grilled mitarashi dango from a food stall.

みたらし is the sweet-savory soy glaze brushed on grilled 団子(だんご), and by extension the common short name for みたらし団子(だんご) itself.

Etymology

Said to derive from 御手洗(みたらし), the purification basin at a shrine — the glaze bubbling as it's brushed on was likened to water bubbling up from a spring.

Common collocations

  • みたらし団子(だんご): mitarashi dango (the full dish)
  • みたらしのたれ: mitarashi sauce/glaze
  • みたらし味(あじ): mitarashi flavor (used for other snacks too, like みたらし味(あじ)のせんべい)
general
Added 2026.9.17 15:44 · Revised 2026.9.17 16:02
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