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おやつ Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N3 Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Meanings 1
noun
snack ; between-meal snack ; afternoon snack
usually written using kana alone
Commonly refers to a light snack eaten between meals, especially the mid-afternoon snack around 3 o'clock. The word originates from the old timekeeping term 八つ時 (around 2–4 PM), but modern usage is not restricted to that exact time.
は
クッキー
です
。
Today's snack is cookies.
Written forms おやつ Usage 94%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
オヤツ Usage 6%
お 八や つ Usage <1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.
Kanji 八 eight, eight radical (no. 12) Similar words 間かん 食しょく 間食 is a more formal term for eating between meals, while おやつ is a casual, everyday word for a snack, especially in the afternoon.
スナック スナック is a loanword for snack foods like chips or candy bars, whereas おやつ can refer to any light food eaten between meals, including homemade items.
Etymology Derived from お + 八つ (yatsu), referring to the eighth hour of the old Japanese time system, which corresponded to mid-afternoon (around 2–4 PM). The term originally meant a light meal taken at that time and later broadened to any between-meal snack.
