Kushi Dango vs. Shoyu Dango vs. Mitarashi Dango Dumplings

Yesterday, I stopped by a 7-Eleven convenience store on the way home and bought this Kushi Dango (串団子) for 116 yen.

The product has the name 串団子, but I found the Wagashi sweets inside are Mitarashi Dango (みたらし団子) or Shoyu Dango (しょうゆ団子).

Kushi Dango vs. Shoyu Dango vs. Mitarashi Dango

So these dumplings are both a Kushi Dango and a Shoyu or Mitarashi Dango, but how exactly do the three types of Dango differ?

Kushi Dango (串団子)

First, according to Kotobank, Kushi Dango/串団子 refers to skewered Dango dumplings, as Kushi (串) means a skewer in Japanese.

Therefore, Dango varieties other than Mitarashi Dango or Shoyu Dango can also be Kushi Dango if served on the skewer.

Shoyu Dango (しょうゆ団子)

Next, based on this article on Wagasshi, Shoyu Dango refers to Dango dumplings applied with a soy sauce-based sauce, as しょうゆ/醤油 is the Japanese word for soy sauce, which can be both savory and sweet.

In other words, Shoyu Dango has a broader sense than Mitarashi Dango, and the latter can belong to the former category.

Mitarashi Dango (みたらし団子)

Last, Mitarashi Dango refers to Dango dumplings glazed with a thick sweet soy sauce called Mitarashi-An/みたらし餡 combined typically with Katakuriko starch, sugar, and mirin.

As mentioned above, Mitarashi Dango is a kind of Shoyu Dango and usually comes on a skewer. So this Dango variety is also almost always a Kushi Dango.

Ingredients

Incidentally, the specific ingredients used in this Kushi (or Shoyu or Mitarashi) Dango are as follows.