おにぎり（おにぎり、onigiri）
- rice ball

おにぎり is a Japanese food made from white rice formed into triangular or oval shapes, and often wrapped in seaweed (nori). It's essentially a rice ball, a portable and convenient snack or meal. The rice is usually lightly seasoned with salt, and the inside may contain various fillings such as pickled plums (umeboshi), grilled salmon (sake), or tuna with mayonnaise (ツナマヨ).

⚫︎ お昼ご飯におにぎりを食べました。 Translation: I ate an おにぎり for lunch. ⚫︎ 公園でおにぎりを食べながら、おしゃべりしました。 Translation: We chatted while eating おにぎり in the park. ⚫︎ 子供のお弁当におにぎりを入れました。 Translation: I put おにぎり in the child's lunchbox.

You can use おにぎり in various contexts when talking about the food itself. It's suitable for casual conversations, describing meals, or discussing what you ate. You can use it when talking about making おにぎり, eating おにぎり, or packing おにぎり for a trip or lunch.

おにぎり is typically written in hiragana. The word itself doesn't have a standard kanji representation, although it’s sometimes written as 御握り, which uses kanji for “honorific” and “to grasp”. There are no variations in okurigana. It's always written as おにぎり. おにぎり is a Japanese word, its pronunciation does not change.

There aren't really direct synonyms. You could describe it using more general terms like: ⚫︎ ご飯 (ごはん) - cooked rice (this is the base ingredient) ⚫︎ お弁当 (おべんとう) - a boxed lunch (if referring to it in a packed meal) ⚫︎ Rice ball

There isn't a direct antonym.

今日は自分で作ったおにぎりを食べます。 ・Translation: I will eat the おにぎり I made today. ・Explanation: This sentence simply states that the speaker will eat a homemade おにぎり.

美味しいおにぎりを作るコツは、塩加減です。 ・Translation: The key to making delicious おにぎり is the amount of salt. ・Explanation: This sentence gives a tip on making good おにぎり by focusing on the amount of salt.

The word おにぎり comes from the verb 握る (にぎる), meaning "to grasp" or "to mold with the hands," and the honorific prefix お. So, literally, it means something that is "grasped" or "molded" with the hands. The おにぎり represents the action of forming rice with one's hands. The act is the base of the meaning.