Translation guide
The English word "taste" covers several distinct concepts: the flavor of something, the sense of taste, personal preference, a small sample, and the ability to make good judgments. Japanese uses different words and expressions for each.
Describing the specific flavor or taste of something you eat or drink.
The most common and general word for 'taste' or 'flavor'. Can be used for both good and bad tastes.
This soup has a good taste.
変な味がする。
It has a strange taste.
Refers to flavor, often with a nuance of aroma and richness. Common in food descriptions.
このワインは風味が豊かだ。
This wine has a rich flavor.
A more nuanced word for 'taste' or 'flavor', often implying depth and enjoyment. Used for savoring.
この料理は深い味わいがある。
This dish has a deep, rich taste.
Referring to the physical sense that allows you to perceive flavors.
The sense of taste. Used in formal or scientific contexts.
味覚が鈍くなった。
My sense of taste has dulled.
Literally 'to understand taste', meaning to be able to taste or discern flavors. More colloquial than 味覚.
風邪で味がわからない。
I can't taste anything because of a cold.
Expressing what someone likes or prefers, often in terms of style, music, fashion, etc.
Means 'taste' as in personal liking or hobby. Very common for preferences in clothes, music, art, etc.
彼は音楽の趣味がいい。
He has good taste in music.
それは私の趣味じゃない。
That's not my taste.
Refers to one's liking or preference. Slightly more about personal inclination than 趣味.
Loanword from English 'sense', used for having good taste or style, especially in fashion or design.
A small amount of something to try, or a brief experience of something.
Sampling food, often in a store. Used as a noun or する verb.
デパートで試食をした。
I had a taste (sample) at the department store.
Sampling a drink. Used for wine, sake, etc.
ワインの試飲ができる。
You can have a taste of the wine.
Literally 'one mouthful', used to mean a small taste of food or drink.
Tasting to check the flavor, often while cooking.
味見してもいい？
Can I have a taste?
Used for 'taste' as in a brief experience of something non-food, like 'a taste of freedom'.
The ability to make good decisions or discern quality, often in art, behavior, etc.
As above, but also used for having good judgment or discernment in general.
彼はビジネスセンスがある。
He has good business sense/taste.
Can also imply good taste in a refined sense, e.g., 'a man of taste'.
彼は趣味のいい人だ。
He is a man of taste.
An eye for beauty; aesthetic discernment. More formal/literary.
Both can mean 'taste' as in preference. 趣味 often implies a hobby or a more cultivated taste, while 好み is a straightforward liking. 趣味がいい means 'has good taste', 好みだ means 'is to one's liking'.
While 味 means 'taste' as flavor, it is not used for personal preferences like 'taste in music'. Use 趣味 or 好み instead.
音楽の趣味
taste in music
このスープはいい味だ。
This soup has a good taste.
彼は音楽の趣味がいい。
He has good taste in music.
味見してもいい？
Can I have a taste?
Taste in color varies from person to person.
She has good taste in clothes.
一口ちょうだい。
Let me have a taste.
自由の味を経験した。
I had a taste of freedom.
彼女は審美眼がある。
She has an eye for beauty / good taste.