1A light snack eaten between meals — often associated with children, but a word used casually by adults too. Usually written in kana.
母は毎日子どもたちにおやつを用意している。
My mother prepares a snack for the kids every day.
今日のおやつはチョコレートとバナナです。
Today's snack is chocolate and banana.
ダイエット中なので、おやつは控えるようにしている。
Since I'm on a diet, I try to cut back on snacks.
宿題が終わったら、おやつを食べてもいいよ。
You can have a snack once you finish your homework.
2A snack taken specifically in the mid-afternoon, around 3 p.m. — the term originates from the old custom of eating around 八つ時 (roughly 2–4 p.m.); comparable to an afternoon tea break.
3時になったので、おやつの時間にしましょう。
It's 3 o'clock now, so let's take our afternoon snack break.
この和菓子屋さんは、おやつの時間に売れる商品が多い。
This Japanese sweets shop sells a lot of items during the mid-afternoon snack time.