酸
san[sã̠ɴ]
In Japanese, the English word 'acid' is expressed as 酸 (san).
The noun 酸 is used in a chemical context to refer to an acid. For example, if you are talking about a specific chemical, you might use the term 硫酸 for sulfuric acid. When referring to musical genres like acid house or acid jazz, the loanword アシッド is used instead.
Meaning: in chemistry (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In chemical nomenclature, the suffix 〜酸 is appended to the name of the specific acid, such as クエン酸 for citric acid.
How do you pronounce it?
san
Did you know?
- The character 酸 contains the radical for 'food' (饣), signaling its ancient connection to the sensation of taste rather than a purely scientific property.
- In Japanese, the word for 'acid' is written with the same character used for 'sour' in everyday culinary contexts. While chemically it means 'acid', it is the root used to describe a sour taste in food.
- The word for 'vinegar' is 酢 ('su'), which is a distinct word from 酸. However, both are deeply intertwined in the history of traditional Japanese cuisine.
Examples in context
- 酸性土を灰で中和する。Acid soil is neutralised by ash.This sentence shows how to use 酸 in the context of soil acidity.Tatoeba #76111 by kamojun, translation #327607 by sundown
- レモンはクエン酸を含んでいる。Lemons contain citric acid.This sentence demonstrates the use of 酸 within the name of a specific acid.Tatoeba #1614513 by Meow, translation #4958510 by devilyoudont
- 酸は金属に触れると化学反応を起こす。When acid comes in contact with metal, it causes a chemical reaction.This sentence illustrates how 酸 interacts with metals in a chemical reaction.Tatoeba #4919673 by huizi99, translation #4923505 by gustonrankin
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two students are discussing a chemistry experiment in a school laboratory.
- 大翔 Hiroto陽葵、この酸はどれくらい強いかな？Himari, kono san wa dore kurai tsuyoi kana?Himari, how strong is this acid?
- 陽葵 Himari大翔、慎重に扱わないと危険だよ。Hiroto, shinchou ni atsukanai to kiken da yo.Hiroto, it's dangerous if you don't handle it carefully.
- 大翔 Hirotoそうだね、手袋を忘れずに使うよ。Sou dane, tebukuro o wasurezu ni tsukau yo.You're right, I'll remember to use gloves.
- 陽葵 Himari実験の安全には注意しようね。Jikken no anzen ni wa chuui shiyou ne.Let's be careful about lab safety.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “acid” translations and entries 酸, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
