酸っぱい
suppai[sɨ̥p̚pa̠i]
The Japanese word for sour is 酸っぱい (suppai).
酸っぱい is used to describe a food or drink that has an acidic, sharp or tangy taste.
Meaning: having an acidic, sharp or tangy taste (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
酸っぱい is an i-adjective. This means you can place it directly before a noun to modify it, such as in the phrase 酸っぱいレモン (sour lemon). To express the past tense, use 酸っぱかった (was sour) and to express the negative form, use 酸っぱくない (is not sour).
How do you pronounce it?
suppai
Did you know?
- The word 酸っぱい is frequently used in the idiom 酸っぱい顔をする, which means to make a face of displeasure or dissatisfaction.
- The word 酸っぱい is built from the word for 'vinegar', 酢, and a suffix meaning '-ish'.
- Japanese people often use the onomatopoeia すっぱーい when tasting something sour to emphasize the physical reaction of the mouth puckering.
Examples in context
- レモンは酸っぱい。Lemon is sour.This sentence shows how to say a lemon is sour.Tatoeba #192323 by bunbuku, translation #29487 by al_ex_an_der
- この葡萄酸っぱいよ。These grapes taste sour.This sentence illustrates how to say these grapes taste sour.Tatoeba #9042020 by small_snow, translation #60579 by CK
- あのブドウは酸っぱいよ。The grapes are sour.This sentence shows how to say those grapes are sour.Tatoeba #231258 by small_snow, translation #68625 by CK
- このレモンはとてもすっぱいです。This lemon is very sour.
- 彼の料理はいつも酸っぱいです。His cooking is always sour.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren are eating fruit in the kitchen.
- 美咲 Misakiこの梅干し、すごく酸っぱいね。Kono umeboshi, sugoku suppai ne.This pickled plum is really sour, isn't it?
- 蓮 Renうん、かなり酸っぱいよ。Un, kanari suppai yo.Yeah, it's quite sour.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮君は、酸っぱいものは好き？Ren-kun wa, suppai mono wa suki?Ren, do you like sour things?
- 蓮 Ren僕は酸っぱいのが苦手なんだ。Boku wa suppai no ga nigate nanda.I'm not very good with sour stuff.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sour” translations and entries 酸っぱい, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 酸っぱい, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
