umami

English

WOTD – 12 October 2015

Etymology

From Japanese 旨味, うまみ (umami), from 旨い (umai, “delicious”), which describes the quality of a pleasant, savory taste.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /uˈmɑːmi/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːmi

Noun

umami (uncountable)

1. One of the five basic tastes, the savory taste of foods such as seaweed, cured fish, aged cheeses and meats.

   Synonyms: savoriness, deliciousness, meatiness, brothiness

   Coordinate terms: bitterness, saltiness, sourness, sweetness

   • 2000 January 28, Oliver Burkeman, “Things that make you go yum”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Umami is the mysterious “fifth taste”—a flavour that has never seemed to fit into the existing categories of sweet, sour, salty and bitter. South-east Asian chefs have exploited it throughout history—it's an essential part of the taste of seaweed, among other things […]

   • 2011, Caitlin Moran, How to be a Woman:

     But we are, of course, sweaty, fleshy lady-animals – all fur and umami.

   • 2018 May 16, Adam Rogers, “The Fundamental Nihilism of Yanny vs. Laurel”, in Wired‎^[2]:

     A few types of molecules get sensed by receptors on the tongue. Protons coming off of acids ping receptors for "sour." Sugars get received as "sweet." Bitter, salty, and the proteinaceous flavor umami all set off their own neural cascades.

   • 2019, Raquel Pelzel, Umami Bomb: 75 Vegetarian Recipes That Explode with Flavor, Workman Publishing, →ISBN, page 2:

     I quickly realized that I have always been obsessed with umami; I just didn't know it. It's why a sprinkle of Parm on just about anything heightens that dish's flavor; it's why grilled smoky mushrooms taste so good. Umami is a deeply satisfying taste, and luckily for us, umami is everywhere—it's in tomatoes and soy sauce, fresh and dried mushrooms, aged cheese, nutritional yeast […]

Derived terms

• umami bomb
• umaminess

 

Translations

one of the five basic tastes, savoriness

• Albanian: ngjelmë
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 鮮味 / 鲜味 (sin¹ mei⁶)

  Mandarin: 鮮味 / 鲜味 (zh) (xiānwèi)

• Dutch: umami (nl), hartig (nl)
• Esperanto: umamo (eo)
• Finnish: umami (fi), ruokaisuus, lihaisuus
• French: umami (fr) m
• German: Umami n
• Greek: ουμάμι (el) n (oumámi)
• Hungarian: umami
• Indonesian: gurih (id), umami
• Italian: umami (it) m
• Japanese: 旨味 (ja) (うまみ, umami)
• Khmer: អ៊ុំម៉ាមី (ʼummaamii)
• Korean: 감칠맛 (gamchilmat), 우마미 (umami)
• Malay: umami, gurih
• Norwegian:

  Norwegian Bokmål: umami (no) m

  Norwegian Nynorsk: umami m

• Russian: ума́ми (ru) n (umámi)
• Spanish: umami (es)
• Swedish: umami (sv) c
• Tamil: please add this translation if you can
• Thai: รสอูมามิ, อูมามิ (uu-maa-mí)
• Ukrainian: ума́мі n (umámi)
• Vietnamese: ngọt thịt

See also

• osmazome

Further reading

• umami on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• imaum

Finnish

Etymology

From Japanese 旨味, うまみ (umami).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈumɑmi/, [ˈumɑ̝mi]
• Rhymes: -umɑmi
• Hyphenation^(key): uma‧mi

Noun

umami

1. umami

Declension

Inflection of umami (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)
nominative		umami	umamit
genitive		umamin	umamien
partitive		umamia	umameja
illative		umamiin	umameihin
		singular	plural
nominative		umami	umamit
accusative	nom.	umami	umamit
	gen.	umamin
genitive		umamin	umamien
partitive		umamia	umameja
inessive		umamissa	umameissa
elative		umamista	umameista
illative		umamiin	umameihin
adessive		umamilla	umameilla
ablative		umamilta	umameilta
allative		umamille	umameille
essive		umamina	umameina
translative		umamiksi	umameiksi
abessive		umamitta	umameitta
instructive		—	umamein
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of umami (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative umamini umamini accusative nom. umamini umamini gen. umamini genitive umamini umamieni partitive umamiani umamejani inessive umamissani umameissani elative umamistani umameistani illative umamiini umameihini adessive umamillani umameillani ablative umamiltani umameiltani allative umamilleni umameilleni essive umaminani umameinani translative umamikseni umameikseni abessive umamittani umameittani instructive — — comitative — umameineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative umamisi umamisi accusative nom. umamisi umamisi gen. umamisi genitive umamisi umamiesi partitive umamiasi umamejasi inessive umamissasi umameissasi elative umamistasi umameistasi illative umamiisi umameihisi adessive umamillasi umameillasi ablative umamiltasi umameiltasi allative umamillesi umameillesi essive umaminasi umameinasi translative umamiksesi umameiksesi abessive umamittasi umameittasi instructive — — comitative — umameinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative umamimme umamimme accusative nom. umamimme umamimme gen. umamimme genitive umamimme umamiemme partitive umamiamme umamejamme inessive umamissamme umameissamme elative umamistamme umameistamme illative umamiimme umameihimme adessive umamillamme umameillamme ablative umamiltamme umameiltamme allative umamillemme umameillemme essive umaminamme umameinamme translative umamiksemme umameiksemme abessive umamittamme umameittamme instructive — — comitative — umameinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative umaminne umaminne accusative nom. umaminne umaminne gen. umaminne genitive umaminne umamienne partitive umamianne umamejanne inessive umamissanne umameissanne elative umamistanne umameistanne illative umamiinne umameihinne adessive umamillanne umameillanne ablative umamiltanne umameiltanne allative umamillenne umameillenne essive umaminanne umameinanne translative umamiksenne umameiksenne abessive umamittanne umameittanne instructive — — comitative — umameinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative umaminsa umaminsa accusative nom. umaminsa umaminsa gen. umaminsa genitive umaminsa umamiensa partitive umamiaan umamiansa umamejaan umamejansa inessive umamissaan umamissansa umameissaan umameissansa elative umamistaan umamistansa umameistaan umameistansa illative umamiinsa umameihinsa adessive umamillaan umamillansa umameillaan umameillansa ablative umamiltaan umamiltansa umameiltaan umameiltansa allative umamilleen umamillensa umameilleen umameillensa essive umaminaan umaminansa umameinaan umameinansa translative umamikseen umamiksensa umameikseen umameiksensa abessive umamittaan umamittansa umameittaan umameittansa instructive — — comitative — umameineen umameinensa

Synonyms

• lihaisuus
• ruokaisuus

Further reading

• “umami”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[3] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-04

Anagrams

• ammui

Indonesian

Etymology

From Japanese 旨味(うまみ) (umami), from 旨い (umai, “delicious”), which describes the quality of a pleasant, savory taste.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈumami]
• Hyphenation: uma‧mi

Noun

umami (uncountable)

1. (cooking) umami: one of the five basic tastes, the savory taste of foods such as seaweed, cured fish, aged cheeses and meats.

Adjective

umami

1. tasty, savory.

   Synonyms: gurih, lezat, nikmat

Further reading

• “umami” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Japanese

Romanization

umami

1. Rōmaji transcription of うまみ

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Japanese 旨味, うまみ (umami).

Noun

umami m (definite singular umamien, uncountable)

1. umami

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Japanese 旨味, うまみ (umami).

Noun

umami m (definite singular umamien, uncountable)

1. umami

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 旨味.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /uˈma.mi/
• Rhymes: -ami
• Syllabification: u‧ma‧mi

Noun

umami n (indeclinable)

1. umami (one of the five basic tastes, the savory taste of foods such as seaweed, cured fish, aged cheeses, and meats)

Adjective

umami (not comparable, indeclinable, no derived adverb)

1. with a umami taste

Further reading

• umami in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• umâmi (rare)

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Japanese 旨(うま)味(み) (umami), from 旨い (umai, “delicious”).

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /uˈmɐ̃.mi/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /uˈmɐ̃.mi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /uˈmɐ.mi/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /uˈmɐ.mi/

Adjective

umami (invariable)

1. umami

Noun

umami m (uncountable)

1. umami

Further reading

• “umami”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2024

Spanish

Noun

umami m (uncountable)

1. umami

Swedish

Noun

umami c

1. umami

Declension

Declension of umami

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	umami	umamis
	definite	umamin	umamins
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

References

• umami in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• umami in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)