旨味

• Reading: うまみ
• Romaji: umami
• Kanji breakdown: 旨 (uma) — delicious, tasty | 味 (mi) — taste, flavour
• Pronunciation: /ɯ.ma.mi/

Meaning

Umami; a savoury, rich taste; profit or benefit; the appealing essence of something.

In its culinary sense, 旨味 is the fifth basic taste (alongside sweet, sour, salty, bitter), now internationally recognised as 'umami'. Figuratively, 旨味がある means there is benefit or advantage in something; 旨味がない means something is not worth the effort. The figurative usage is common in business and everyday conversation.

Examples

1. 昆布と鰹節の組み合わせが、だしに深い旨味を与える。 The combination of kombu and dried bonito gives the dashi a deep umami flavour.
2. この取引には双方にとって旨味があると、交渉担当者は判断した。 The negotiator judged that there was benefit in the deal for both parties.
3. 旨味の少ない仕事ばかり任されて、彼はやりがいを失いかけていた。 Having only thankless jobs assigned to him, he was on the verge of losing his sense of purpose.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, business, everyday life, gastronomy

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 旨 (uma/shi) meaning 'delicious, tasty' and 味 (mi) meaning 'taste, flavour'. The word was later adopted into English as 'umami' following the identification of glutamate receptors by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal