Onigiri and nigiri


I was reading this two articles:

  1. [Onigiri wikipedia's article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onigiri)
  2. [Nigiri explanation inside wikipedia's sushi article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigiri#Nigiri-zushi)

I first thought that `onigiri` was a type of sushi but it's not. It calls my
attention how something with similar names mean something so different. So my
question is:

  * What does `nigiri` mean?
  * Does the `o` in the beginning of a word mean something special?




It is a "rice ball", usually with some kind of meat inside and wrapped in
seaweed (similar to sushi). Unlike sushi though, which you hold and eat with
chopsticks, an onigiri is made to hold in the hand.

The o- is an honorific prefix. It is used to give respect to an object or
person, and is done with several choice words (including o-sushi). This
sociolinguistic aspect of the Japanese language is **imperative** to
understand, as some words can often sound harsh and/or insulting if the
honorific prefix is omitted. See [this
article](http://japanese.about.com/library/blqow20.htm) for a more detailed
description.

**edit:**  
[握]{にぎ}り[寿司]{ずし} is a specific kind of sushi. An お[握]{にぎ}り is a rice ball. The
word [握]{にぎ}り alone simply means "a grip or handle" (like a doorknob). They're
all derived from the verb "[握]{にぎ}る", meaning "to grasp". On the second page
you posted, they appear to be using "nigiri" as shorthand for "nigiri-zushi".




It is a "rice ball", usually with some kind of meat inside and wrapped in
seaweed (similar to sushi). Unlike sushi though, which you hold and eat with
chopsticks, an onigiri is made to hold in the hand.

The o- is an honorific prefix. It is used to give respect to an object or
person, and is done with several choice words (including o-sushi). This
sociolinguistic aspect of the Japanese language is **imperative** to
understand, as some words can often sound harsh and/or insulting if the
honorific prefix is omitted. See [this
article](http://japanese.about.com/library/blqow20.htm) for a more detailed
description.

**edit:**  
[握]{にぎ}り[寿司]{ずし} is a specific kind of sushi. An お[握]{にぎ}り is a rice ball. The
word [握]{にぎ}り alone simply means "a grip or handle" (like a doorknob). They're
all derived from the verb "[握]{にぎ}る", meaning "to grasp". On the second page
you posted, they appear to be using "nigiri" as shorthand for "nigiri-zushi".

