sweet rice jelly; uirō
A traditional Japanese confection made from rice flour and sugar, often flavored with matcha or red bean. Steamed and jelly-like in texture.
Edo-period herbal medicine; antitussive and breath freshener
Only with reading ういろう
Historical term; originally a medicine imported from China, later produced in Japan. Used for coughs and as a breath freshener. The sweet is said to have been named after this medicine due to a resemblance in shape or color.
I bought some uirō, a Nagoya specialty, as a souvenir.
Uirō is characterized by its chewy texture.
In the Edo period, uirō was used as a cough medicine and breath freshener.
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 外郎 and 外良 are rare and mainly historical.
Rare kanji form; historically associated with the medicine and the sweet, but now almost always written in kana.
Very rare kanji form; it is rarely used.
The name is said to derive from a Chinese medicine called 'uirō' brought to Japan by a Chinese physician in the 14th century. The sweet was later named after the medicine due to a perceived similarity in appearance. The kanji 外郎 is a phonetic borrowing (ateji) for the Chinese name.