Common word› JLPT N1 › Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation 嗜好する · noun or participle which takes 'suru'
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 嗜し 好こう する 嗜し 好こう しない Polite 嗜し 好こう します 嗜し 好こう しません Past polite 嗜し 好こう しました 嗜し 好こう しませんでした Past 嗜し 好こう した 嗜し 好こう しなかった Te-form 嗜し 好こう して 嗜し 好こう しないで Desire 嗜し 好こう したい 嗜し 好こう したくない Potential 嗜し 好こう できる 嗜し 好こう できない Passive 嗜し 好こう される 嗜し 好こう されない Causative 嗜し 好こう させる 嗜し 好こう させない Causative passive 嗜し 好こう させられる 嗜し 好こう させられない Volitional 嗜し 好こう しよう Polite volitional 嗜し 好こう しましょう Imperative 嗜し 好こう しろ 嗜し 好こう するな Conditional 嗜し 好こう すれば 嗜し 好こう しなければ Tara conditional 嗜し 好こう したら 嗜し 好こう しなかったら
Usage patterns 〈 物もの 〉 を 嗜し 好こう する to have a taste/preference for something
He has a preference for spicy food.
〈 人ひと 〉 の 嗜し 好こう に 合あ う to suit someone's taste
He said the food at this restaurant suits his taste.
嗜し 好こう が 変か わる for one's tastes to change
One's tastes can change with age.
〈 人ひと 〉 の 嗜し 好こう を 反はん 映えい する to reflect someone's tastes
This menu reflects young people's tastes.
〈 物もの 〉 への 嗜し 好こう が 強つよ い to have a strong preference for something
He has a strong preference for sweets.
Kanji 好 fond, pleasing, like something Related words 好み is the everyday word for personal likes and preferences, while 嗜好 is more formal and often appears in written or analytical contexts like market research.
趣味 means a hobby or pastime, whereas 嗜好 refers to the underlying tastes and preferences that may shape one's 趣味 .
好き嫌い explicitly contrasts likes and dislikes, while 嗜好 describes one's general taste orientation, usually toward what is liked.
嗜好 is the standard, more formal term for personal taste, while 趣向 (sense: taste/preference) is a more colloquial, everyday word for the same idea.
Don't confuse with 思考 (also read しこう ) means 'thought/thinking process', a completely different meaning from 嗜好 's 'taste/preference'.
志向 (also read しこう ) means an 'orientation' or 'inclination toward something', which is broader and more directional than 嗜好 's personal taste in food, drink, or aesthetics.
施行 (also read しこう ) means the 'enforcement' or 'implementation' of a law, an entirely unrelated meaning to 嗜好 's 'taste/preference'.
Word family luxury grocery item; indulgence item
sexual preference; sexual predilection
interests and preferences; tastes
pedophilia
Written forms 嗜し 好こう Usage 95%
Standard kanji spelling; the first character is not a Jōyō kanji but is common in formal writing.
し 好こう Usage 5%
search-only kanji form
Search-only mixed kanji-kana form; not a standard practical spelling.
Etymology From Middle Chinese-derived elements 嗜 (shi, 'to like, to be fond of') and 好 (kō, 'to like, good'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the compound has been used in Japanese to mean 'taste' or 'preference' since at least the Edo period.
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