甘い · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 甘い | 甘くない |
| Polite | 甘いです | 甘くないですalso 甘くありません |
| Past polite | 甘かったです | 甘くなかったですalso 甘くありませんでした |
| Past | 甘かった | 甘くなかった |
| Te-form | 甘くて | 甘くなくて |
| Adverbial | 甘く | |
| Conditional | 甘ければ | 甘くなければ |
| Tara conditional | 甘かったら | 甘くなかったら |
Basic taste of sugar, honey, or ripe fruit. Also used for sweet-smelling things.
This cake is very sweet.
甘い香りの花が咲いている。
Sweet-smelling flowers are blooming.
sweet (smell, sound); fragrant; melodious
Describes a pleasant, gentle smell or a sweet, soft sound, often in literary or poetic contexts.
甘い音楽が部屋に流れていた。
Sweet music was playing in the room.
lightly salted; mild; not spicy
Used for food that is not strongly seasoned, especially with salt or spice. 甘い味噌 means mild, less salty miso. Sense 7 (mild) is merged here as it overlaps with this usage.
この漬物は甘くて食べやすい。
These pickles are mild and easy to eat.
甘口のカレーは子供でも食べられる。
Mild curry can be eaten even by children.
naive; overly optimistic; soft
Describes a person, idea, or attitude that is too optimistic, lenient, or lacking critical judgment. Common in phrases like 甘く見る (underestimate) and 考えが甘い (one's thinking is naive).
See also: 甘く見る
彼は世の中を甘く見ている。
He takes the world too lightly.
そんな甘い考えでは成功できない。
You can't succeed with such naive thinking.
half-hearted; insufficient; lax
Describes work, effort, or discipline that is not strict or thorough enough. Often used in negative evaluations. Sense 6 (insufficient) is merged here as it is a natural extension of half-heartedness.
練習が甘いから試合に負けた。
We lost the game because our practice was too lax.
彼の仕事は甘いところがある。
His work has some sloppy parts.
tempting; enticing; sweet (words)
Used for words, offers, or conditions that are attractively sweet but possibly deceptive. Often appears in set phrases like 甘い言葉 (sweet talk) or 甘い誘惑 (tempting lure).
See also: 甘い言葉
甘い言葉に騙されないで。
Don't be fooled by sweet words.
Thinking you'll succeed that easily is pretty naive of you.
This miso soup is mildly seasoned, not too salty.
Security in this building is lax, so you should be careful.
甘い describes leniency in a casual, often critical sense (being too soft), whereas 寛大 is a positive, formal word for being magnanimous.
甘い can mean 'lenient' toward someone's mistakes, similar to 緩い describing lax rules, but 甘い also has unrelated core meanings like 'sweet' and 'naive'.
甘い describes a sweet taste, the direct opposite of the sour taste described by 酸っぱい.
甘い describes lenient or indulgent treatment, the opposite of the harsh discipline implied by スパルタ.
甘い means 'sweet', the direct taste opposite of 苦い 'bitter'.
甘い (sweet) is the basic taste opposite of 塩辛い (salty).
甘い describes a sweet taste, the opposite of the astringent, harsh taste described by 渋い.
甘い describes standards or judgments that are lax or lenient, the opposite of シビア's demanding strictness.
しょっぱい describes a salty taste while 甘い describes a sweet one, the two basic tastes learners contrast most often.
甘い means sweet-tasting, the opposite of the harsh, acrid taste described by えぐい.
甘い is an adjective meaning 'sweet' or 'lenient', while 甘やかす is the verb meaning to actively spoil or pamper someone.
amazake; sweet low-alcohol sake; fermented rice drink
sweet and sour · bittersweet (feeling)
act spoiled; fawn on; seek affection · take advantage of; presume upon; depend on
sweet taste; mildness · flattery; sweet talk · stupidity; foolishness
content oneself with; be resigned to; accept
sweet tooth; person who prefers sweets over alcohol
sentimental; mushy; saccharine · sickly-sweet; sugary
sweet and salty; sweet-salty flavor
overreliance on others; excessive babyishness · spoiled person; person who acts like a baby
sweet vinegar
broiled sweet chestnuts
salty-sweet; sweet and salty
content oneself with; accept; be resigned to
amanatto; sugar-coated beans
Hydrangea macrophylla var. thunbergii; sweet hydrangea plant · sweet hydrangea leaf tea; hydrangea tea
thick amazake; thick sweet sake
amago; land-locked red-spotted masu trout
lenient; overly soft; too easygoing · overoptimistic; too hopeful; naively optimistic
super-sweet; sickly-sweet · overly kind; overly soft (on someone)
sweet; sugary
sweetish; somewhat sweet; on the sweet side · somewhat lenient; kind of optimistic; on the generous side
lightly salted; mildly salted
amanatsu; Japanese summer orange
sweet persimmon
eating sweet food; sweets indulgence
Amaou; Amaou strawberry
cuticle; nail cuticle · endocarp