すっぱい
suppaiadjective
In hiragana, "sour" is すっぱい (suppai). It describes the taste of lemons, vinegar and unripe fruit. It is also called さんみ (sanmi).
Meaning: sour in taste (adjective)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| すっぱい | suppai | adjective |
| さんみ | sanmi | noun, sourness |
すっぱい is an i-adjective: すっぱいレモン (suppai remon) is a sour lemon. To say a food is not sour, use すっぱくない (suppakunai).
How do you pronounce it?
The small っ doubles the p sound, so say "sup-pai" with a short stop before the ぱ.
When do people say it?
うめぼし (umeboshi), pickled plums, are known for being very sour and are a common filling for rice balls.
Did you know?
- The kanji for the word is 酸っぱい (suppai), and the character 酸 (san) also appears in words for acid.
Examples in context
- このレモンはすっぱいです。Kono remon wa suppai desu.This lemon is sour.
- すっぱいものはにがてです。Suppai mono wa nigate desu.I am not good with sour things.
- うめぼしはとてもすっぱい。Umeboshi wa totemo suppai.Umeboshi is very sour.
Example conversation
Kenta lets his friend Yuna try a pickled plum at a picnic.
- Kentaこのうめぼし、たべてみて。Kono umeboshi, tabete mite.Try this pickled plum.
- Yunaうわ、すっぱい。Uwa, suppai.Wow, it is sour.
- Kentaでも、ごはんとあうよ。Demo, gohan to au yo.But it goes well with rice.
