菓子
かし · kashi · JLPT N3 · noun
sweet
🍡🍬 菓 = grass 艹 + fruit 果: the first Japanese sweets were fruit and nuts
Before sugar was common in Japan, kashi meant fruit and nuts eaten between meals. The 果 (fruit) inside 菓 keeps that history. Today the word covers all sweets, as in wagashi 和菓子 (Japanese sweets).
子 — pictograph of a baby/child with arms out
子 began as a pictograph of a swaddled infant with a large head and outstretched arms, originally meaning 'baby' or 'child.' From there it broadened to 'son,' 'offspring,' and a respectful suffix for masters like 孔子 (Confucius). It also became one of the twelve earthly branches.