かき氷
kakigōri[ka̠kʲiɡo̞ːɾʲi]
Shaved ice in Japanese is かき氷 (kakigōri).
かき氷 refers to a jellylike dessert. When ordering, you may encounter specific flavors referred to by their syrup names, such as meron (melon) or buruu haiwai (blue Hawaii).
Meaning: jellylike dessert (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of kaki (shaving/scraping) and kōri (ice).
How do you pronounce it?
kakigōri
Did you know?
- In some Japanese regions, you might find 'kakigōri' topped with condensed milk or even azuki beans, making it a much heartier snack than Western snow cones.
- The phrase かき氷 uses a linguistic phenomenon called rendaku, where the initial 'k' sound in kōri changes to a 'g' sound to make the word easier to pronounce as a compound.
- While most syrups are liquid, some traditional versions of かき氷 use kuromitsu, a thick black syrup made from boiled cane sugar that has a deep, smoky taste.
Examples in context
- アイスかかき氷が食べたい。I want to eat either ice cream or shaved ice.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to eat either ice cream or かき氷.Tatoeba #3635282 by tommy_san, translation #3777900 by CK
- こんな暑い日には、やっぱりかき氷だよね。On a hot day like this, we must have shaved ice.This sentence is useful for suggesting that かき氷 is the best choice on a hot day.Tatoeba #957556 by bunbuku, translation #2660341 by WestofEden
- アイスとかき氷なら断然アイスが好きです。Between ice cream and shaved ice I definitely prefer ice cream.This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for ice cream over かき氷.Tatoeba #9699041 by Sim5634, translation #10122983 by tsp_2
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A summer festival evening.
- 陽太 Yotaかき氷、何味が食べたい？Kakigori, nani aji ga tabetai?What flavor of shaved ice do you want to eat?
- 結衣 Yuiイチゴ味のかき氷がいいな。Ichigo aji no kakigori ga ii na.I would like strawberry-flavored shaved ice.
- 陽太 Yotaよし、あのお店に行こう。Yoshi, ano omise ni ikou.Alright, let's go to that shop.
- 結衣 Yui陽太くん、ありがとう！Youta-kun, arigatou!Thank you, Youta!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shaved ice” translations and entries かき氷, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries かき氷, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
