おやつ

お

や

つ

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

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.

3時じになったらおやつにしよう。
Let's have a snack at 3 o'clock.
今日きょうのおやつはクッキーです。
Today's snack is cookies.

See all 73 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

おやつの時じ間かんsnack time
もうすぐおやつの時じ間かんだよ。
It's almost snack time.
〈物もの〉をおやつにするto have something as a snack
今日きょうはクッキーをおやつにした。
Today I had cookies as a snack.
おやつ抜ぬきno snack (as a punishment or restriction)
宿しゅく題だいをしないと、おやつ抜ぬきだよ。
If you don't do your homework, no snack for you.
おやつを作つくるto make a snack
母ははが子こ供どもたちのためにおやつを作つくった。
Mom made a snack for the kids.

Kanji

八eight, eight radical (no. 12)

Related words

間かん食しょくN1
間食 is the formal, dictionary-style term for eating between meals, while おやつ is the everyday word for a snack, especially in the afternoon.
スナック
スナック refers specifically to packaged snack foods like chips or crackers, while おやつ covers any light food eaten between meals, including homemade treats.
軽けい食しょく
軽食 means a light meal (like a sandwich for lunch), whereas おやつ specifically means a between-meal snack, often sweet, eaten mid-afternoon.
お菓か子しN4
おやつ refers to a snack eaten at a set time (often afternoon), which may or may not be sweet, while お菓子 specifically means sweets or confectionery.
三さん時じN5
三時 (in this sense) is short for 三時のおやつ, the specific mid-afternoon snack time, while おやつ is the general word for any snack regardless of when it's eaten.

Counted with

品ひんN2
Used for snacks or food items when counting them as servings/items; not as a special dedicated counter.

Written forms

おやつUsage94%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
オヤツUsage6%
お八やつUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; it is rarely used.

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.