菓子

• 読み: かし
• ローマ字: kashi
• 漢字の分解: 菓 (ka) — confection, fruit; 子 (shi) — child, suffix
• 発音: /ka.ɕi/

意味

Confectionery; sweets; snacks. A general term for sweet treats and snack foods.

A noun covering all types of sweets and snack foods. Most commonly heard with the polite prefix as お菓子. Subcategories include 和菓子 (Japanese sweets), 洋菓子 (Western sweets), and 駄菓子 (cheap candy). Widely used in daily conversation, especially around gift-giving and hospitality.

例文

1. お土産にお菓子を買ってきた。
2. 和菓子は見た目も美しい。
3. 子どもたちがお菓子を食べている。

使い方ガイド

場面: food, gifts, daily life

トーン: positive

起源と歴史

The kanji 菓 originally meant 'fruit' (from 艹 grass/plant + 果 fruit), as fruits were the earliest sweets. 子 (child/small thing) was added as a suffix. Over time, 菓子 shifted from meaning fruit to manufactured confections.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal