also: れいはん · ひえめし · つめためし
cold rice; leftover rice
Literally rice that has cooled down, often implying leftovers. Can be used neutrally or with a nuance of something unappealing.
冷や飯を温めて食べた。
I warmed up the cold rice and ate it.
冷や飯に味噌汁をかけると美味しい。
Pouring miso soup over cold rice is delicious.
hanger-on; dependent; freeloader
Only with reading ひやめし
Abbreviation of 冷や飯食い. Refers to someone who lives off others, often with a negative connotation of being a burden or unwanted guest. Restricted to reading ひやめし.
See also: 冷や飯食い (ひやめしくい)
彼は親戚の家で冷や飯を食っている。
He's freeloading at his relatives' house.
disgraced former actor; washed-up performer
Only with reading ひやめし
Specific to the entertainment world: an actor or performer who has fallen from grace and is no longer in demand. Restricted to reading ひやめし.
あの元スターも今では冷や飯だ。
That former star is now a has-been.
crudely made straw sandals
hanger-on; dependent; sponger · person given the cold shoulder; unwelcome guest · non-inheriting son (Edo period); younger son with no inheritance
Standard kanji spelling for the common reading ひやめし. Used for both literal cold rice and the idiomatic dependent sense.
Alternate kanji spelling for ひやめし. Less common than 冷や飯 but still encountered.
Sino-Japanese reading. Rarely used; mainly found in formal or literary contexts.
Alternate native reading. Uncommon; ひやめし is the standard.
Rare reading. Not in common use.
Compound of 冷や (hiya, 'cold') + 飯 (meshi, 'rice'). The idiomatic senses derive from the image of eating cold, leftover rice as a sign of being an unwelcome dependent or a fallen figure.