How to say 'Sweet' or 'Lenient' in Japanese | 甘い

Wondering how to say 'Sweet' or 'Lenient' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Sweet or Lenient is 'Amai', written as 甘い in Japanese.'Sweet' or 'Lenient' in hiragana is あまい.

word

甘い

Meaning

Sweet, Lenient

Reading

あまい

amai

Kanji

甘Sweet

Explanation

The Japanese adjective '甘い (あまい)' primarily means 'sweet', referring to taste, but it can also mean 'lenient' or 'indulgent' when describing behavior or judgment. For example: this cake is sweet「このケーキは甘い」(このケーキはあまい). He is too lenient with his students「彼は生徒に甘い」(かれはせいとにあまい). The word can also imply naivety or being overly optimistic, as in '甘い考え (あまいかんがえ) (naive thinking)'. It's important to note that the context determines which meaning is intended.

Part Of Speech

adjective

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

379

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting

This word is an i-adjective. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 甘い

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

甘

Meaning

Sweet

Hiragana in the Word 甘い

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

hiragana

い

Reading

Words Related to 甘い Through the Kanji 甘

These 2 Words contain the Kanji 甘 as well.

word

甘やかす

Meaning

Spoil

word

甘える

Meaning

Depend

Learn the Word 甘い

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What does 'Amai' (甘い) mean?

'Amai' means 'Sweet' or 'Lenient' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.