Japanese symbol for “sour”
酸っぱい
すっぱい
Romaji: suppai
sour; acid
In Japanese, sour is 酸っぱい, read すっぱい (suppai).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-i sour; acid
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sour”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦い | にがい nigai | sour (expression, look); bitter; displeased |
| 渋い | しぶい shibui | sour (look); glum; grim |
| 酸い | すい sui | sour; acid |
| サワー | サワー sawaa | sour (taste) |
| 苦虫を噛み潰したよう | にがむしをかみつぶしたよう nigamushiokamitsubushitayou | sour (expression); as if having chewed on a bitter bug |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 酸素 | さんそ sanso | oxygen (O) |
| 酸化 | さんか sanka | oxidation; oxidization |
| 炭酸 | たんさん tansan | carbonic acid |
| 酸性 | さんせい sansei | acidity |
| 硫酸 | りゅうさん ryuusan | sulfuric acid; sulphuric acid |
| 酸味 | さんみ sanmi | sourness; acidity |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sour”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.