flavor, taste
Came from Chinese. It usually shows up when the kanji is joined to another, forming a compound word.
It is Japanese. It usually shows up when the kanji stands alone or is followed by hiragana.
The order matters: it is what makes handwriting come out legible, and it is how dictionaries index the character.
Visual decomposition, for recognising and comparing — not always the character's origin.
Where it appears is highlighted — the translation doesn't always make that visible.
ううん、味噌にしましょう。こっちの方が美味しいよ。
Uun, miso ni shimashou. Kocchi no hou ga oishii yo.
No, let's get the miso. This one's better.
実は、毎朝、同じ味が安心します。
Jitsu wa, mai asa, onaji aji ga anshin shimasu.
Actually, the same flavor every day makes him feel at ease.
本当に、何か特別な調味料でも？
Hontou ni, nanika tokubetsu na choumiryou demo?
Really, is there some special seasoning?
Readings and meanings: KANJIDIC2 · Decomposition: KRADFILE · Both from Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group, CC BY-SA 4.0 · data from 2026-09-07 · Strokes: KanjiVG, Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0