MISSHI-RI みっしり
Meanings
Describes the inside of something being densely and fully packed, with very little empty space.
Examples
These days, even convenience-store cream puffs can be densely filled with custard and feel surprisingly substantial.
最近はコンビニのシュークリームも、カスタードがみっしり入っていてボリューミーだ。
Dogmatic Opinion
I can understand an expression such as “grass growing MISSHI-RI” too.
But ask me to explain the difference between GU GA MICCHI-RI TSUMATTE IRU and GU GA MISSHI-RI TSUMATTE IRU—“the filling is packed MICCHI-RI” versus “packed MISSHI-RI”—and things get difficult fast.
For me, the difference may be nothing more than an impression of texture and weight.
With dorayaki, MICCHI-RI or GISSHI-RI makes me imagine chunky red-bean paste. MISSHI-RI somehow makes me imagine smooth white-bean paste. Dark smooth bean paste sits somewhere toward the MISSHI-RI side.
This is not science. It is sound-image.
Proximate Expression
packed
jammed
crammed
Related Words
For Japanese Learners
Densely packed, tightly filled, densely filled, and packed throughout may fit. MISSHI-RI is uncommon and overlaps heavily with other Japanese density words. The fine food-texture distinctions in the author’s discussion are personal impressions, not standard dictionary rules.
