How do you say "spicy" in Japanese?

辛い

tsurai

Adjective Kanji

In Japanese, "spicy" is 辛い (tsurai).

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Pronunciation

Pronounce tsoo-RAI, two syllables, with rai rhyming with 'rye' and carrying slightly more length than tsu.

Writing and usage

辛い is written using kanji. It's a adjective, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

このカレーはとても辛いです。

kono karee hatotemo tsurai desu.

This curry is very spicy.

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How to remember 辛い

Tsurai also means 'painful' in other contexts, picture your tongue in genuine pain, crying rai-rai-rai tears after one spicy bite.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 辛い

How do you pronounce 辛い?

Pronounce tsoo-RAI, two syllables, with rai rhyming with 'rye' and carrying slightly more length than tsu.

Is 辛い formal or casual?

辛い 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 辛い written in Japanese?

辛い is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as tsurai.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Spicy" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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