Japanese

お握り: salmon onigiri

Alternative forms

• 御握り, 御握

Noun

お握り ‎(hiragana おにぎり, romaji onigiri)

1. (children's word) a closing or grasping of one's hand
2. a rice ball (from the way the ball is formed by squeezing a handful of rice in one's hands)

   Vaguely similar to a sandwich in concept, but smaller and less filling. Typically has something in the center, or mixed into the rice, such as an 梅干し ‎(umeboshi, “pickled plum”), tuna salad, salmon, chicken teriyaki, or some other savory ingredient. Often wrapped in 海苔 ‎(nori, “a sheet of roasted seaweed”), either entirely, or with a strip. Traditionally triangular.

Synonyms

• お結び, 御結び, 御結 (おむすび, ​omusubi)
• 握り飯 (にぎりめし, ​nigiri meshi)

References

1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
3. ↑ 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3