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Chinese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "sour" in Chinese?
酸
suān
In Chinese, "sour" is 酸 (suān).
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Pronunciation
Pronounce suān by giving it a high, level pitch held flat like humming one steady note, since this single syllable carries the first tone.
Writing and usage
酸 is written using hanzi. It's a adjective, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.
Example sentence
柠檬味道非常酸。
níng méng wèi dào fēi cháng suān 。
The lemon tastes very sour.
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How to remember 酸
Turn "suān" into a tiny story about sour — the sillier the mental image, the faster it sticks.
Related words
Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.
Questions about 酸
How do you pronounce 酸?
Pronounce suān by giving it a high, level pitch held flat like humming one steady note, since this single syllable carries the first tone.
Is 酸 formal or casual?
酸 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.
How is 酸 used in Chinese?
酸 is used the same way as the equivalent English adjective. For example: 柠檬味道非常酸。 (The lemon tastes very sour.).
Where can I practice Chinese words for free?
You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.
"Sour" in other languages
Curated by Jack Ratcliffe
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