甘い

• Reading: あまい
• Romaji: amai
• Kanji breakdown: 甘 (ama/kan) — sweet, indulgent
• Pronunciation: /a.ma.i/

Meaning

Sweet-tasting; sugary. Describes the flavor of sweets, fruit, and desserts.

An i-adjective primarily describing sweet flavors. Beyond taste, 甘い has important figurative meanings: 甘い考え means a naive or optimistic idea, and 甘やかす means to spoil someone. In food culture, it pairs naturally with Japanese sweets (和菓子). Conjugates regularly: 甘くない, 甘かった.

Examples

1. このケーキはとても甘いです。 This cake is very sweet.
2. 日本のいちごは甘くておいしい。 Japanese strawberries are sweet and delicious.
3. 甘いものが好きですか。 Do you like sweet things?

Usage Guide

Context: food, taste, cooking

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 甘 depicts something sweet in the mouth. It has been used since ancient Japanese to describe sweet flavors and metaphorically for indulgence or leniency.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal