Lesson notes · Beginner 1
taste words: spicy, sweet, sour, bitter
Use 「辛い」「甘い」「酸っぱい」「苦い」 to describe food’s taste.
Look at the foods and faces: how do you say spicy, sweet, sour, and bitter in Japanese?
When mapo tofu gives your mouth a spicy kick, describe it with 「辛い（からい）」.
Yokan is sweet like sugar. Describe this taste with 「甘い（あまい）」.
Lemon tastes sour in your mouth. Describe it with 「酸っぱい（すっぱい）」.
Coffee without sugar often tastes bitter. Describe it with 「苦い（にがい）」.
To describe how food tastes, use 「food は + taste word + です」, as in 「麻婆豆腐は辛いです」.
When asked 「〜はどうですか」, you can answer with a taste, such as 「甘いです」.
「とても」 means “very”; 「ちょっと」 means “a little.” Both go before the taste word.
For salty soup, use 「しょっぱい」. 「ちょっとしょっぱいです」 means “It’s a little salty.”
Taste words describe the flavor; 「おいしい」 means it tastes good. Something can be a little salty and still taste good.
Sushi is very delicious.
Mapo tofu is very spicy, isn't it!
Is mapo tofu spicy?
Yes, it's very spicy. But I also like sweet dishes.
How about yokan?
It's very sweet. I eat it with tea.
How does the soup taste?
It's a little salty. But it's delicious.
Level 1 · Recognise
Which sentence is correct?
Level 1 · Recognise
Listen and choose the meaning
Level 2 · Build
Put the words in order
Indian curry is very spicy.
Level 3 · Use
What goes in the blank?
天ぷら 辛くありません。
Tempura is not very spicy.
