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.
酒の澱を取り除く。
Remove the lees from the sake.
醤油の澱が瓶の底に溜まっている。
The soy sauce lees have settled at the bottom of the bottle.
A more technical or formal term for sediment or precipitate, not limited to fermentation. Used in scientific or industrial contexts.
発酵後に沈殿物が生じる。
Sediment forms after fermentation.
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.
酒粕は料理に使われる。
Sake lees are used in cooking.
The solid remains after pressing sake, often used in cooking or as a byproduct.
Specifically refers to the lees left over from sake production. Commonly used in Japanese cuisine for making kasu-jiru (soup) or pickles.
酒粕で粕汁を作った。
I made kasu-jiru with sake lees.
酒粕は甘酒の原料にもなる。
Sake lees are also used as an ingredient for amazake.
Sake lees pressed into sheets, a common form sold for cooking.
板粕を焼いて食べる。
Grill the sheet of sake lees and eat it.
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.
ワインの澱を取り除くためにデカンタする。
Decant the wine to remove the lees.
The process of racking wine off the lees.
澱引きはワインの清澄化に重要だ。
Racking is important for clarifying wine.
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.
彼は人間の滓だ。
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.
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.
An existence like the dregs of society.