noun
okowa; glutinous rice steamed with red beans or other ingredients
A traditional Japanese dish of glutinous rice steamed with adzuki beans or other ingredients; often served on celebratory occasions. Similar to 赤飯 (sekihan), but おこわ may use different toppings or be less strictly associated with festivities.
おばあちゃんが作ってくれたおこわは、栗が入っていてとても美味しかった。
The okowa my grandmother made for me had chestnuts in it and was really delicious.
noun
Archaic meaning; not used in modern Japanese. The word おこわ in this sense is obsolete.
古文書には「おこわ」を「たばかりごと」の意で使った例がある。
In old documents, there are examples where 'okowa' is used to mean 'trickery'.
At the celebration, both okowa and sekihan were served.
強飯 (kowameshi) is an older term for glutinous rice steamed plain or with beans; おこわ is the more common modern word with the honorific prefix お.
The word おこわ comes from the honorific prefix お (o) + 強 (kowa), an old word for 'hard' or 'stiff', referring to the firm texture of steamed glutinous rice. The archaic sense of 'trickery' is unrelated and its origin is uncertain.