mochi

American  

[moh-chee] / ˈmoʊ tʃi /

noun

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.

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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

In the narrow streets of Mochi gate, customers hold their paper kites overhead to stop them getting ripped as they squeeze through the crowd and past the occasional slow moving motorbike.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026

Before long, he was packing up with his wife and their schnoodle named Mochi.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 4, 2025

Proponents of the bill, including celebrity chef Martin Yan and Theresa Tom, co-owner of the Mochi Donut in the Sunset District, hope these events can help revitalize the city’s economy.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2023

Meet Chloe the pup, kitten Zenitsu and Mochi the bunny.

From Washington Post • Feb. 9, 2022

In the Central Provinces the term Mochi is often used for the whole caste in the northern Districts, and Jīngar in the Marātha country; while the Chitrakārs or painters form a separate group.

From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV Kumhar-Yemkala by Russell, R. V. (Robert Vane)