How do you say "taste" in Japanese?

味わう

ajiwa u

Verb Kanji

In Japanese, "taste" is 味わう (ajiwa u).

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Pronunciation

Ajiwau flows a-ji-wa-u, four light syllables ending on a soft u, said evenly without rushing the final vowel.

Writing and usage

味わう is written using kanji. It's a verb, 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

スープを味見してみますか?

suupu wo ajimi shitemimasuka?

Would you like to taste the soup?

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How to remember 味わう

Ajiwau contains 'aji', meaning flavor or taste itself, so tasting is literally the act of experiencing the aji of something.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 味わう

How do you pronounce 味わう?

Ajiwau flows a-ji-wa-u, four light syllables ending on a soft u, said evenly without rushing the final vowel.

Is 味わう formal or casual?

味わう 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 味わう written in Japanese?

味わう is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as ajiwa u.

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.

"Taste" in other languages

Curated by Callan 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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