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Kotomora

酸

acid, bitterness, sour, tart

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · grade 5FrequencyTop 2,000Strokes14

Readings

On'yomi

  • サン

Kun'yomi

  • す.い

Meaning

酸 centers on a sharp, biting taste: sourness, tartness, or the chemical sense of acid. Bitterness is a related harsh flavor, though not identical.

Most common words using 酸

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Study

Etymology

酸 combines 酉 (a wine jar, suggesting fermentation) with 夋, which likely contributes the sound. The idea is the sour taste of fermented liquid.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 酉 is a wine jar, and the right side 夋 looks like a person puckering from a sour taste. Imagine tasting fermented wine and making a sour face.

Reading mnemonic

For サン, picture the sun (サン) beating down on a wine jar, turning the wine sour and acidic.