Word
onigiri
Phoneticsoni·giri
/ˌoʊnɪˈɡiːɹi/
Definition
n. a Japanese food made of white rice shaped into a triangle or ball. It is often wrapped in seaweed and has a tasty filling inside.
n. a Japanese food consisting of a ball or triangle of cooked white rice, typically containing a savoury filling and wrapped in nori (dried seaweed).
Examples
“I bought a salmon onigiri for lunch.”
“Because they are portable and easy to eat with your hands, onigiri are a staple of Japanese picnic baskets and convenience stores.”
“While traditional onigiri often feature pickled plum or salted salmon, modern variations include ingredients like tuna mayonnaise or even fried chicken to appeal to contemporary tastes.”
Examples
simple
“I bought a salmon onigiri for lunch.”
contextual
“Because they are portable and easy to eat with your hands, onigiri are a staple of Japanese picnic baskets and convenience stores.”
complex
“While traditional onigiri often feature pickled plum or salted salmon, modern variations include ingredients like tuna mayonnaise or even fried chicken to appeal to contemporary tastes.”
Usage
Often used as a countable noun when referring to individual units, but can be uncountable when referring to the dish in general.
Real-World Examples
“A Japanese convenience store franchise has halted the sale of rice balls, known as onigiri, along with other deli goods at 1,600 outlets after uncovering that some staff had manipulated their expiry dates.” “Its customers are a mixture of loyal locals, inquisitive diners from out of town and, increasingly, a foreign clientele eager to taste the inspiration for the global boom in onigiri – triangles of warm, lightly salted rice embellished with a topping or filling and, more often than not, wrapped in crisp nori seaweed.” “Steps from the hustle of Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens, past signs in Spanish for low shipping rates, amulets and shamanic baths, Mitsumine Oda quietly makes onigiri (rice balls) shaped like hearts.” “At Hanamizuki, which opened on the northeastern edge of Chelsea in May, the rice balls (onigiri or omusubi in Japanese) are still humble, but slightly offbeat, as if sprung from a Haruki Murakami novel.” Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese お握り (onigiri).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/onigiri