凝乳
gyōnyū
The English word 'curd' is translated into Japanese as 凝乳 (gyōnyū).
凝乳 refers to the part of milk that coagulates.
Meaning: part of milk that coagulates (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
gyōnyū
Did you know?
- The character 凝 in 凝乳 is also used in the word 凝視 (gyōshi), which means 'to stare fixedly'. This creates a linguistic connection between the 'fixing' or 'concentration' of milk solids and the 'fixing' of one's gaze on an object.
- Because dairy was not traditionally common, Japanese often describes the texture of curd using the word ねっとり (nettori), a term also used for sticky foods like mochi.
- While 凝乳 is the technical term for 'curd', you will rarely see it on a grocery store shelf. Most Japanese people would simply call it ヨーグルト (yoguruto) or use the katakana 'curd' as カード (kādo) when discussing Western-style dairy.
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are making homemade cheese in the kitchen.
- 健太 Kenta美咲、もう凝乳ができそうかな？Misaki, mō gyōnyū ga dekisō kana?Misaki, do you think the curd is ready yet?
- 美咲 Misakiはい、いい感じの凝乳になりました。Hai, ii kanji no gyōnyū ni narimashita.Yes, it has become a good curd.
- 健太 Kenta次はどうすればいい？Tsugi wa dō sureba ii?What should we do next?
- 美咲 Misakiここから凝乳を分離させます。Koko kara gyōnyū o bunri sasemasu.From here, we separate the curd.
