Tastes are the basic sensations we experience when eating or drinking. These sensations help us enjoy food and identify different flavors. The five most commonly recognized tastes are sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami. Other descriptive words help us talk about textures or intensity of flavors, such as spicy or bland.
Basic Tastes
These are the five primary tastes that form the foundation of flavor.
Basic Tastes Table
English | Example Sentence | Spanish | Example Sentence | Mandarin (Pinyin) | Example Sentence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
sweet | This cake is very sweet. | dulce | Este pastel es muy dulce. | 甜 (tián) | 这个蛋糕很甜。 (Zhège dàngāo hěn tián.) |
sour | The lemon is sour. | ácido | El limón es ácido. | 酸 (suān) | 柠檬很酸。 (Níngméng hěn suān.) |
bitter | Coffee can be bitter. | amargo | El café puede ser amargo. | 苦 (kǔ) | 咖啡可能很苦。 (Kāfēi kěnéng hěn kǔ.) |
salty | The soup is salty. | salado | La sopa está salada. | 咸 (xián) | 汤很咸。 (Tāng hěn xián.) |
umami | Mushrooms have an umami flavor. | umami | Los champiñones tienen sabor umami. | 鲜味 (xiānwèi) | 蘑菇有鲜味。 (Mógū yǒu xiānwèi.) |
Additional Taste Descriptions
These words are used to describe more specific or complex taste experiences.
Additional Taste Descriptions Table
English | Example Sentence | Spanish | Example Sentence | Mandarin (Pinyin) | Example Sentence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
spicy | The curry is very spicy. | picante | El curry está muy picante. | 辣 (là) | 咖喱很辣。 (Gālí hěn là.) |
bland | The rice is bland. | soso | El arroz está soso. | 淡 (dàn) | 米饭很淡。 (Mǐfàn hěn dàn.) |
rich | The chocolate cake is rich. | rico | El pastel de chocolate es rico. | 浓郁 (nóngyù) | 巧克力蛋糕很浓郁。 (Qiǎokèlì dàngāo hěn nóngyù.) |
tangy | The sauce has a tangy flavor. | ácido | La salsa tiene un sabor ácido. | 有刺激味 (yǒu cìjī wèi) | 酱汁有刺激味。 (Jiàngzhī yǒu cìjī wèi.) |
creamy | The soup is creamy. | cremoso | La sopa es cremosa. | 奶油状 (nǎiyóu zhuàng) | 汤是奶油状的。 (Tāng shì nǎiyóu zhuàng de.) |
Which taste word completes this sentence? "The sauce has a ____."
tangy flavor
"Tangy flavor" means slightly sharp and acidic, which is common in certain sauces. It is more specific than just "sour."
Taste Intensity and Quality
These words help you describe how strong or pleasant a taste is.
Taste Intensity and Quality Table
English | Example Sentence | Spanish | Example Sentence | Mandarin (Pinyin) | Example Sentence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
mild | The cheese has a mild flavor. | suave | El queso tiene un sabor suave. | 口味淡 (kǒuwèi dàn) | 奶酪味道淡。 (Nǎilào wèidào dàn.) |
strong | The wine tastes strong. | fuerte | El vino sabe fuerte. | 浓烈 (nóngliè) | 葡萄酒味道浓烈。 (Pútáojiǔ wèidào nóngliè.) |
delicious | The soup is delicious. | delicioso | La sopa está deliciosa. | 美味 (měiwèi) | 汤很美味。 (Tāng hěn měiwèi.) |
awful | This food tastes awful. | horrible | Esta comida sabe horrible. | 难吃 (nán chī) | 这食物难吃。 (Zhè shíwù nán chī.) |
fresh | The salad is fresh. | fresco | La ensalada está fresca. | 新鲜 (xīnxiān) | 沙拉很新鲜。 (Shālā hěn xīnxiān.) |
Which taste word completes this sentence? "The soup is ____."
delicious
"Delicious" means very tasty and enjoyable, which is the opposite of "awful." The other choices don’t imply a pleasant taste.
Other Taste-Related Words
These words are useful when talking about food and flavor more generally.
Other Taste-Related Words Table
English | Example Sentence | Spanish | Example Sentence | Mandarin (Pinyin) | Example Sentence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
flavor | The flavor of vanilla is sweet. | sabor | El sabor de vainilla es dulce. | 味道 (wèidào) | 香草的味道很甜。 (Xiāngcǎo de wèidào hěn tián.) |
aroma | The aroma of the bread is wonderful. | aroma | El aroma del pan es maravilloso. | 香气 (xiāngqì) | 面包的香气很棒。 (Miànbāo de xiāngqì hěn bàng.) |
aftertaste | The wine has a fruity aftertaste. | regusto | El vino tiene un regusto afrutado. | 余味 (yúwèi) | 葡萄酒有果味余味。 (Pútáojiǔ yǒu guǒwèi yúwèi.) |
texture | The texture of the cake is soft. | textura | La textura del pastel es suave. | 口感 (kǒugǎn) | 蛋糕的口感很软。 (Dàngāo de kǒugǎn hěn ruǎn.) |
palate | She has a refined palate. | paladar | Ella tiene un paladar refinado. | 味觉 (wèijué) | 她有很好的味觉。 (Tā yǒu hěn hǎo de wèijué.) |
Flashcards (1 of 20)
- Example Sentence: 这个蛋糕很甜。 (Zhège dàngāo hěn tián.)
- Mandarin (Pinyin): 甜 (tián)
- English: sweet
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025