also: たべカス
leftovers; food scraps; leavings of a meal
Refers to uneaten food remaining after a meal, such as scraps on a plate or leftovers to be thrown away. Not used for intentionally saved leftovers (which is 残り物).
I clean up the food scraps on the dishes.
There are food scraps scattered on the table.
bits of food; food particles (in teeth/mouth)
Specifically refers to small food particles stuck in teeth or lingering in the mouth after eating.
A bit of food got stuck between my teeth.
I rinse the food particles out of my mouth.
Standard mixed kanji-kana spelling; the most common written form.
Katakana variant of かす; used for emphasis or in casual writing.
Uses the kanji 滓 for かす; uncommon and may not be recognized by all readers.
Uses the kanji 粕 for かす; rare and typically associated with sake lees, not food scraps.
Compound of 食べ (stem of 食べる 'to eat') and かす ('scraps, dregs'). The かす part is of uncertain origin, but the word transparently means 'eating scraps'.