団子
Meanings
dango; sweet dumpling
A traditional Japanese sweet made from rice flour, often served on a skewer. Common in phrases like 花より団子 (preferring substance over style).
I bought sweet soy-glazed dango at the festival.
ball-shaped object; round thing
Used for anything round and dumpling-like, such as a ball of clay, a rolled-up piece of paper, or a round mass.
I crumple the paper into a ball.
Describes a group of people or things packed closely together, like a knot of people or a clump of objects.
A tight crowd of people had formed in front of the station.
dango (Go); inefficient clump of stones
In the game of Go, a group of stones that are clustered together inefficiently, often a strategic mistake.
This shape is a dango; it's inefficient.
Usage patterns
- 〈物〉を団子にするto roll something into a ball shape
Roll the clay into a ball.
- 〈人〉が団子になるfor people to bunch up into a tight cluster
The runners bunched up together right before the finish line.
- 串に団子を刺すto skewer dango onto a stick
Skewer three dango onto a stick and grill them.
- 団子を焼くto grill dango
They're grilling dango at the food stall.
Expressions
- 花より団子practicality over aesthetics; substance over style