(Context: I’m an ALT in Japan at a Junior High and Elementary school)
I was eating lunch with my students yesterday, and after everyone gets served their portion, the homeroom teacher usually calls out if anyone wants extras of anything leftover. Yesterday was meatball day, and the teacher asked a few times if they wanted another 団子. The only time I’ve ever heard that translated as “meatball” was in the Sailor Moon dub, and I assumed that it was just a cultural translation so kids had an easier reference point. But are meatballs technically in the world of 団子 too? Is anything else included? Or is it actually just for mochi-related foods?
I believe normally a meatball would be 肉団子 or just ミートボール, but you could probably just say 団子 so long as you’re looking at, eating, holding, whatever meatballs.