Okashi vs. Okashii: The Difference in Meaning in Japanese

Okashi and Okashii sound almost the same. But what do you think about their meanings in Japanese?

The former Okashi reminds me of two writings right away; お菓子 and をかし, and what I should compare here with Okashii is をかし.

Okashi vs. Okashii

That is because お菓子/Okashi is the word for snacks and candies or confectionery, and I think the contrast of をかし/Okashi vs. Okashii is more confusing.

Although をかし is an old expression not used in everyday conversation now, it has something to do with Okashii.

Okashi (をかし)

Okashi/をかし is an old word seen in the Heian period (平安時代: 794 – 1185) literature and has a deep connection with the Pillow Book or 枕草子/Makura no Soshi.

At the time, をかし was used to express aesthetic feelings with meanings such as 趣がある/quaint or 心惹かれる/fascinating.

Okashii (おかしい)

But its meaning changed in the Muromachi period (室町時代: 1336 – 1573) and took on humor, and later, it reached modern times Okashii/おかしい.

In this way, it is generally considered the origin of おかしい is をかし, and today, Okashii has meanings such as 滑稽だ/funny, おかしい/strange, or 変だ/weird.

(Reference Pages: Wikipedia をかし, Weblio Ancient Language Dictionary をかし )