味 – Kanji Meaning, Reading, and Common Words

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What does 味 mean in Japanese?

味 means taste or flavor. The kun’yomi あじ (aji) is the word you use at the table: 味がいい (it tastes good), 味がうすい (the flavor is weak).

The on’yomi ミ powers three N4 essentials that go far beyond food: 意味 (imi, meaning), 趣味 (shumi, hobby), and 興味 (kyoumi, interest). The mouth radical 口 on the left ties the character to tasting, and the figurative words extend that idea: a hobby is something you have a taste for.

Reading

On’yomi: ミ (mi)

Kun’yomi: あじ (aji), あじ-わう (aji-wau)

Basic Information

Kanji 味
Meaning taste, flavor
Stroke Count 8
JLPT Level N4

How to Understand This Kanji

あじ (aji) is literal taste: この店のラーメンは味がいい (the ramen here tastes good). The on’yomi words are figurative and extremely frequent: 意味 (imi) is the meaning of a word or action, 趣味 (shumi) is a hobby, and 興味 (kyoumi) is interest in something (興味がある, to be interested). 味見 (ajimi) is tasting a dish while you cook it. 味方 (mikata) is an ally, someone on your side. The verb 味わう (ajiwau) means to savor, both food and experiences.

Common Words

  • 味（あじ / aji） — taste, flavor
  • 意味（いみ / imi） — meaning
  • 趣味（しゅみ / shumi） — hobby
  • 興味（きょうみ / kyoumi） — interest
  • 味見（あじみ / ajimi） — tasting (food while cooking)
  • 味方（みかた / mikata） — ally, someone on your side

Example Sentences

  • このスープは味がうすいです。

    このすーぷはあじがうすいです。 / Kono suupu wa aji ga usui desu.

    This soup has a weak flavor.

  • この言葉の意味を教えてください。

    このことばのいみをおしえてください。 / Kono kotoba no imi o oshiete kudasai.

    Please tell me the meaning of this word.

  • 私の趣味は料理です。

    わたしのしゅみはりょうりです。 / Watashi no shumi wa ryouri desu.

    My hobby is cooking.

Related Kanji

  • 見

    — See/look — 味見 (tasting while cooking) = 味 + 見, literally ‘looking at the taste’; a vivid compound of two basic kanji

  • 食

    — Eat/food — taste lives in food contexts; 食べ物の味 (the taste of food) pairs the two kanji constantly

  • 料

    — Cooking/ingredients — 料理の味 (the flavor of a dish); 料 names the cooking that 味 evaluates

When Learners Usually See This Kanji

The three abstract words carry this kanji onto every JLPT test: 意味 (meaning), 趣味 (hobby), 興味 (interest). Learn the set phrases この言葉の意味は何ですか (what does this word mean?), 趣味は何ですか (what are your hobbies?), and 〜に興味があります (I am interested in …).

Keep 趣味 (shumi) and 興味 (kyoumi) apart: 趣味 is an activity you do for fun; 興味 is curiosity or interest directed at something. You do 趣味, you have 興味.

The mouth radical 口 on the left marks kanji connected to the mouth: eating, speaking, tasting. Seeing it in 味 next to 未 (the phonetic part, read ミ) shows the classic meaning + sound structure many kanji share.

Summary

味 means taste: あじ at the table, ミ in the high-frequency abstract words 意味 (meaning), 趣味 (hobby), and 興味 (interest). Separate 趣味 (what you do) from 興味 (what draws you).