Translation guide
A thick, filled pancake-like snack, typically containing sweet red bean paste and served warm. In Japanese, this is almost always 今川焼き (imagawayaki) or one of its many regional name variants.
Referring to the food item: a thick, round pancake filled with sweet bean paste, cooked in a special mold.
I bought a thick pancake with bean jam at the festival. · This hot snack is perfect for winter.
The standard name in Tokyo and widely understood across Japan. Use this if unsure.
今川焼きを一つください。
One imagawayaki, please.
今川焼きはあんこがたっぷり入っていて美味しい。
Imagawayaki is delicious with lots of sweet bean paste inside.
Common name in western Japan, especially Osaka and Kobe.
大阪では今川焼きのことを大判焼きと呼ぶ。
In Osaka, imagawayaki is called ōban-yaki.
Used in some regions like Kyushu and parts of Kansai.
回転焼きは福岡でよく見かける。
Kaiten-yaki is often seen in Fukuoka.
A brand name used by a famous shop in Himeji, sometimes used generically in that area. Very regional.
姫路では御座候が有名だ。
Gozasōrō is famous in Himeji.
Explaining what it is without using a specific name.
A descriptive phrase meaning 'something like a thick pancake with bean paste inside'. Useful when the listener doesn't know the name.
それはあんこの入った厚いパンケーキのようなもので、温かくて甘いです。
It's like a thick pancake with bean paste inside, warm and sweet.
Introduces the name and explains it as a baked sweet with bean paste.
今川焼きっていう、あんこが入った焼き菓子を知っていますか？
Do you know imagawayaki, a baked sweet with bean paste inside?
This snack has many names depending on the region. 今川焼き is the safest choice in most of Japan, but in Kansai 大判焼き is more common. If you hear a different name, it's likely the same thing.
Unlike taiyaki (たい焼き), which is fish-shaped, this is a simple round or oval pancake. The filling and batter are similar, but the shape differs.