na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
somewhat spicy; kind of salty; on the dry side
Describes food or drink that is a bit spicy, salty, or dry. The exact meaning depends on context: 辛い can refer to hot/spicy or salty, and め adds 'somewhat'.
This curry is made on the spicy side.
na-adjective, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
Used for a person's attitude, evaluation, or treatment that is somewhat strict or severe. Often appears as 辛めの評価 or 辛めに言う.
スープがちょっと辛めだったので、水をたくさん飲んだ。
The soup was a bit salty, so I drank a lot of water.
The teacher graded on the strict side today.
He gave his own work a somewhat harsh evaluation.
Standard spelling for the adjective meaning somewhat spicy/salty or strict.
Alternate kanji spelling using 目; less common than 辛め.
Formed from the adjective stem 辛 (から) + the suffix め, which indicates a tendency or moderate degree. The kanji 目 is sometimes used for め, but 辛め is more common.