mochi

American

[moh-chee] / ˈmoʊ tʃi /

noun

cooked and pounded glutinous rice formed into various shapes and used to make traditional Japanese sweets and other dishes (often used attributively).

mochi balls;
mochi ice cream.
Also called butter mochi. a sticky, spongy Hawaiian dessert whose principal ingredients are butter, sugar, eggs, rice flour, and coconut milk.

Etymology

Origin of mochi

Borrowed into English from Japanese around 1880–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Through playing around I landed on my recipe for scrunched mochi crêpes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

I added things like French fries with furikake, a lineup of my favorite dipping sauces, potato mochi, ramen specials and more to have a little fun with different flavors.

From Salon • Dec. 17, 2024

Once an immigrant hub, this vibrant downtown district is a tourist destination where a 121-year-old mochi shop co-exists with sneaker shops.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2024

Mr Tahara passed out mochi, a Japanese rice cake, decorated with the Dodgers’ logo and free margarita shots to honour Fernando Valenzuela, the Dodgers legend who recently died.

From BBC • Oct. 30, 2024

She served sake and mochi and a couple dozen different snacks.

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023