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.
このスープはいい味だ。
This soup has a good taste.
It has a strange taste.
Refers to flavor, often with a nuance of aroma and richness. Common in food descriptions.
This wine has a rich flavor.
A more nuanced word for 'taste' or 'flavor', often implying depth and enjoyment. Used for savoring.
This dish has a deep, rich taste.
Referring to the physical sense that allows you to perceive flavors.
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.
He has good taste in music.
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.
I had a taste (sample) at the department store.
Sampling a drink. Used for wine, sake, etc.
Literally 'one mouthful', used to mean a small taste of food or drink.
Tasting to check the flavor, often while cooking.
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.
He has good business sense/taste.
Can also imply good taste in a refined sense, e.g., '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.
taste in music
This soup has a good taste.
He has good taste in music.
Can I have a taste?
Taste in color varies from person to person.
She has good taste in clothes.
You can have a taste of the wine.
一口ちょうだい。
Let me have a taste.
Can I have a taste?
自由の味を経験した。
I had a taste of freedom.
He is a man of taste.
彼女は審美眼がある。
She has an eye for beauty / good taste.