粽ちまき

ち

ま

き

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

chimaki; rice cake wrapped in bamboo leaves

A traditional Japanese food made of glutinous rice, often shaped into a cylinder and wrapped in bamboo or other leaves, then steamed. Commonly associated with the Boys' Festival (端午の節句).

端たん午ごの節せっ句くには粽ちまきを食たべる習しゅう慣かんがあります。
There is a custom of eating chimaki on the Boys' Festival.
この粽ちまきはもち米ごめで作つくられています。
This chimaki is made with glutinous rice.

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Kanji

粽rice dumplings steamed in bamboo leaves
茅miscanthus reed
巻scroll, volume, book

Related words

柏かしわ餅もち
柏餅 is a rice cake wrapped in an oak leaf, also eaten on the Boys' Festival, but uses a different leaf and is typically filled with sweet bean paste, while 粽 is often plain or savory and uses bamboo leaves.

Written forms

粽ちまきUsage14%
Standard kanji spelling for this traditional food.
ちまきUsage81%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not needed.
チマキUsage5%
茅ち巻まき
Alternate kanji spelling, less common; literally 'cogon grass roll'.

Etymology

The word ちまき is of native Japanese origin. The kanji 粽 is a Chinese character for a similar food, and 茅巻き literally means 'cogon grass roll', referring to the wrapping material.