mochi

American  

[moh-chee] / ˈmoʊ tʃi /

noun

• mochis
  plural

1. 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.

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mochis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mochi

Borrowed into English from Japanese around 1880–90

Explanation

Mochi is a Japanese food that's made from short-grain, sticky rice. Soft, chewy, and stretchy, mochi is commonly used to make sweets, like red bean paste or ice cream inside a mochi covering. Traditionally, mochi is made by cooking rice and then pounding it in a large mortar with a heavy, wooden pestle. The sticky result is cut into small cakes. Today, most mochi is prepared from a rice flour that's cooked with water. As well as desserts, mochi is made into tasty dumplings, toasted and added to savory dishes, and even heated in a special waffle iron to make "moffles."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mochi mochis

So it makes pain au chocolat and delicate tarts, but also strawberry mochi donuts or red bean bread.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

The mochi balls of doughy rice filled with ice-cream exploded on TikTok, but its apparent overnight success was more than a decade in the making.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 11, 2026

Its bakery will sell viral Asian treats, including lava mochi puffs and Napoleon Portuguese egg tarts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025

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

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata

If you’re planning on enjoying these mochis at a picnic, be sure to carry them in an insulated cooler bag.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2025

The mochis are ready to eat after three to four minutes resting at room temperature.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2025

Each box of mochis comes with six pieces of frozen sweet treats, which are also available in green tea, ripe strawberry and sweet mango flavors.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2023

Bite-sized ice cream sandwiches, tart creamsicles and chewy, creamy mochis are just a few creative desserts available.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2022

A large number of the mochis are not stuffed; they are suffered to dry and harden, so that they can be stored away for future enjoyment.

From A Japanese Boy by Shigemi Shiukichi