ソース

• Reading: ソース
• Romaji: sousu
• Pronunciation: /soː.sɯ/

Meaning

Sauce. In Japan, often refers specifically to Worcestershire-style brown sauce used on fried foods.

A katakana loanword from English 'sauce.' In everyday Japanese, ソース without qualification typically means Japanese-style Worcestershire sauce (ウスターソース), a staple condiment for dishes like tonkatsu and okonomiyaki. It can also refer to sauces in general when qualified, such as トマトソース.

Examples

1. とんかつにソースをたっぷりかけた。 I poured plenty of sauce on my tonkatsu.
2. このパスタのソースは手作りです。 The sauce for this pasta is homemade.
3. お好み焼きにはソースとマヨネーズをかけます。 You put sauce and mayonnaise on okonomiyaki.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, dining, food

Tone: casual

Origin & History

Borrowed from English 'sauce.' Worcestershire-style sauce was introduced to Japan in the late 19th century and became a beloved condiment adapted to Japanese tastes.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal