vinegar, sour, acid, tart
酢 centers on the sharp, acidic taste of vinegar and the sourness it represents. The meanings 'acid' and 'tart' are natural extensions of that same sour quality.
酢 combines 酉 (sake jar, indicating fermentation) with 乍, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally referred to sour fermented liquids, hence vinegar.
The sake jar 酉 on the left suggests fermentation, and the right side 乍 looks like a sharp, jagged tool. Imagine a jar of fermented liquid so sour it feels sharp on the tongue—that's vinegar.
For サク, imagine a sack of sour vinegar: sack -> サク, and the sharp smell hits you when you open it.
vinegar
juice pressed from a bitter orange
acetic acid
sweet-and-sour pork
vinegared dish; pickled dish
sweet vinegar
pickling in vinegar; vinegar pickles
vinegared miso
plum vinegar; (salted) plum juice
ponzu mixed with grated daikon
vinegar
vinegared miso mixed with mustard
seasoned vinegar used for preparing sushi rice
apple cider vinegar; cider vinegar
acetoacetic acid
indoleacetic acid
ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; EDTA
ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; EDTA
oxaloacetic acid
chloroacetic acid