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).
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.
dango (Go); inefficient clump of stones
In the game of Go, a group of stones that are clustered together inefficiently, often a strategic mistake.
Roll the clay into a ball.
I bought sweet soy-glazed dango at the festival.
A tight crowd of people had formed in front of the station.
This shape is a dango; it's inefficient.
The runners bunched up together right before the finish line.
Skewer three dango onto a stick and grill them.
They're grilling dango at the food stall.
饅頭 is a steamed bun with a sweet filling, whereas 団子 is a plain or coated dumpling without filling.
バン is the general word for a rounded hair bun, while 団子 (often as お団子) is the casual, everyday term for the same rolled-up hairstyle.
餅 is made by pounding whole glutinous rice into a sticky mass, while 団子 is made from rice flour formed into small balls.
skewered dango; dango on a stick
dumpling shop; dumpling seller
ball-shaped; dumpling-shaped; round and solid · lump; clump; mass; bunch
lumpfish; lumpsucker
snub nose; pug nose; button nose
mud pie; mud ball · seed ball; seed bomb · deer truffle; false truffle
small sweet rice cakes placed at the bedside of the deceased
mud ball; dirt ball
meatball
Standard kanji spelling.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially for the food sense.
Katakana spelling is sometimes used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
The origin is disputed. Proposed explanations connect the name with Chinese 團子, with the older confection 団喜, or with 団 in the sense “round” or “gathered.”
mugwort-flavored rice dumpling