とても新鮮
The English phrase "very fresh" is translated into Japanese as とても新鮮.
とても新鮮 is primarily used when describing food, such as vegetables or fish, to indicate that the items have been recently caught or harvested.
Which one should you use?
While とても新鮮 refers to freshness, do not use the word 新鮮 to mean "new" in the sense of a new book or a new car. In those cases, use 新しい instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
When you use the phrase to modify a noun directly, you must add the particle な after the adjective, resulting in とても新鮮な.
Did you know?
- To describe fish as 'so fresh it is still moving', Japanese speakers use the term 踊り食い (odorigui), which literally means 'dancing eating'.
- In Japanese supermarkets, the 'freshness' of produce is often signaled by the word 旬 (shun), which refers to the peak seasonal freshness of an ingredient.
- The kanji for fresh, 新, is also found in the word for 'new year' 新年 and 'newspaper' 新聞, linking the idea of freshness to the start of a cycle or new information.
Examples in context
- あの魚はとても新鮮です。The fish over there is very fresh.
- このサラダは超新鮮で美味しい！This salad is very fresh and delicious!
- この魚はとても新鮮です。Kono sakana wa totemo shinsen desu.This fish is very fresh.
- とても新鮮な空気を吸いました。Totemo shinsen na kuuki o suimashita.I breathed in very fresh air.
- 野菜がとても新鮮ですね。Yasai ga totemo shinsen desu ne.The vegetables are very fresh, aren't they?
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are shopping at a local market.
- 蓮 Renこのレタス、とても新鮮だね。Kono retasu, totemo shinsen da ne.This lettuce is very fresh, isn't it?
- 美咲 Misaki本当。すごく美味しそう！Hontou. Sugoku oishisou!True. It looks delicious!
- 蓮 Ren美咲、これ買っておこうか。Misaki, kore katte okou ka.Misaki, shall we buy this?
- 美咲 Misakiうん、ぜひ買おう！Un, zehi kaou!Yes, let's definitely buy it!
