Back to dictionary
JLPT N111画 · 11 strokesradical 艸freq #1719

candy, cakes, fruit

On'yomi (音読み)

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

Mnemonic

In a garden (艸), a colorful cake (菓) sits amongst fruity plants, enticing everyone with its sweet candy aroma.

About this kanji

The kanji 「菓」 primarily means sweets or confections, referring to items like candy and cakes. It usually appears in nouns rather than verbs. Some common compounds include 「菓子」 (かし), which means confectionery or sweets, and 「お菓子」 (おかし), a more casual term for snacks and treats. Another interesting compound is 「和菓子」 (わがし), which refers to traditional Japanese sweets. Additionally, you'll encounter 「駄菓子」 (だがし), meaning penny candy, and its store, 「駄菓子屋」 (だがしや). A usage note: when you see the prefix お, it often implies politeness or a sense of endearment.

Example sentences

  • 彼は美味しい菓子を作る。

    He makes delicious sweets.

Meanings across languages

English
candy, cakes, fruit
Tiếng Việt
kẹo, bánh, trái cây
日本語
お菓子, ケーキ, 果物
한국어
사탕, 케이크, 과일
中文
糖果, 蛋糕, 水果
id
permen, kue
th
ขนม, เค้ก
es
dulces, pasteles
fr
bonbons, gâteaux
de
Süßigkeit, Kuchen
pt
doces, bolos

Common compounds

  • 菓子かしconfectionery, sweets, candy
  • お菓子おかしconfections, sweets, candy
  • 和菓子わがしwagashi, traditional Japanese confectionery
  • 駄菓子だがしpenny candy, cheap individually wrapped sweets
  • 駄菓子屋だがしやsmall-time candy store, penny candy store
  • お菓子屋おかしやconfectionery shop, candy store, sweet shop
  • 製菓せいかconfectionery production
  • 洋菓子ようがしWestern confectionery

Want to actually learn this kanji?

The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.