Translation guide
The sediment or dregs left after fermentation, especially in sake, wine, or soy sauce production. In Japanese, this is most commonly referred to as おり (澱), but specific terms exist for different contexts.
The solid residue that settles at the bottom of a container after fermenting sake, wine, soy sauce, etc.
The most common and general term for lees or sediment from fermented liquids like sake, wine, or soy sauce. Can also refer to dregs in a broader sense.
Remove the lees from the sake.
A more technical or formal term for sediment or precipitate, not limited to fermentation. Used in scientific or industrial contexts.
Refers to dregs, lees, or refuse. Often used in compounds like 酒粕 (sake lees) or 油滓 (oil dregs). Can have a negative connotation of worthless residue.
The solid remains after pressing sake, often used in cooking or as a byproduct.
The sediment in wine, often used in winemaking processes like sur lie aging.
Also used for wine lees, though context usually makes it clear. In wine terminology, it's the standard term.
The least valuable or most worthless part of something, often used metaphorically.
Used figuratively to mean dregs, scum, or the worthless remainder. Can be insulting when applied to people.
Using 滓 to describe people is very derogatory and should be avoided in polite conversation.
澱 (おり) is the neutral, standard term for lees or sediment from fermentation. 滓 (かす) often implies waste or dregs and can be negative. For cooking, 酒粕 (さけかす) is the specific term for sake lees, while 澱 is more general.
In English, 'lees' is almost exclusively used for fermentation sediment. In Japanese, 澱 can also mean sediment in other liquids, but for non-fermented sediments, 沈殿物 (ちんでんぶつ) may be more appropriate.
The soy sauce lees have settled at the bottom of the bottle.
Sediment forms after fermentation.
Sake lees are used in cooking.
Specifically refers to the lees left over from sake production. Commonly used in Japanese cuisine for making kasu-jiru (soup) or pickles.
I made kasu-jiru with sake lees.
Sake lees are also used as an ingredient for amazake.
Sake lees pressed into sheets, a common form sold for cooking.
Grill the sheet of sake lees and eat it.
Decant the wine to remove the lees.
The process of racking wine off the lees.
Racking is important for clarifying wine.
He's the scum of the earth.
Can be used metaphorically for the dregs or sediment of society, but less common and less harsh than 滓.
An existence like the dregs of society.