How do you say "soy sauce" in Japanese?

醤油

shōyu

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "soy sauce" is 醤油 (shōyu).

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Pronunciation

醤油 is written using kanji. Romanised as shōyu, it sounds roughly like "shoh-yoo" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Shōyu combines kanji for soy/beans (醤) and oil (油). Soy sauce is made from fermented beans, so the characters reflect its source.

Example sentence

朝ごはんに醤油を食べました。

Asagohan ni Shōyu wo tabemashita.

I had soy sauce for breakfast.

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How to remember 醤油

Soy beans (醤) + oil (油) = soy sauce. Salty, umami-rich liquid essential to Japanese cooking and flavoring.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more supermarket words.

Questions about 醤油

How do you pronounce 醤油?

醤油 is romanised as shōyu. Say it roughly like "shoh-yoo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 醤油 formal or casual?

醤油 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 醤油 written in Japanese?

醤油 is written using kanji. Shōyu combines kanji for soy/beans (醤) and oil (油).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"Soy sauce" in other languages

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