Higashi
/hɪˈɡɑːʃi/noun
A dry, often delicately molded Japanese confection traditionally served with tea.
Did you know?Higashi is associated with the Japanese tea ceremony, where its dry texture deliberately contrasts with moist sweets such as namagashi.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Japanese
Japanese
菓子 (kashi)
“Sweets or confectionery; the element later appearing in compounds for Japanese sweets.”
Early Modern Japanese
Japanese
干菓子 (higashi)
““Dry confectionery,” combining 干 (hi, dry) with 菓子 (kashi, confectionery), with sound change producing higashi.”
17th–19th Century
Japanese
ひがし / 干菓子
“Dry sweets used in formal tea practice, commonly made from sugar, rice flour, or bean-based ingredients.”
20th Century
English
higashi
“An English culinary loanword for a Japanese dry confection served with tea.”