味

Stroke order

味 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 口十木 (RJD), four-corner 6509₀, composition ⿰口未)

• 𮋞, 菋, 𰁅, 𠽘

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 182, character 13
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3456
• Dae Jaweon: page 401, character 14
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 597, character 6
• Unihan data for U+5473

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *mɯds) : semantic 口 (“mouth”) + phonetic 未 (OC *mɯds).

Schuessler (2007) compared this word with Proto-Monic *[ʔ]məp (“good tasting, have a pleasant flavour, be pleasant”) > Mon မိပ် (mìp, “to be happy, to enjoy”). Unger (1992) connects this with Tibetan བྲོད (brod) (< བྲོ (bro, “to taste”)). Also compare Korean 맛 (mat, “taste”), 멋 (meot, “taste; charm”).

味

1. taste; flavor

   • 甘橘，大厘城有之，其味酸。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Tang Dynasty, Fan Chuo, Manshu, chapter 7, part 7

     Gānjú, Dàlí chéng yǒu zhī, qí wèi suān.

     Dali City has sweet tangerines, but their flavour is sour.

2. smell; odor (Classifier: 股 m; 𠹻 c)

   點解你間房好似有𠹻味嘅？ [Cantonese, trad.]
   点解你间房好似有𠹻味嘅？ [Cantonese, simp.]

   dim² gaai² nei⁵ gaan¹ fong^4-2 hou² ci⁵ jau⁵ zam⁶ mei⁶ ge³?

   Why does your room seem like there is some smell?

3. food

   海味  ―  hǎiwèi  ―  seafood

4. to taste; to reflect on; to experience

   品味  ―  pǐnwèi  ―  to taste; to appreciate

5. interest; fun; taste

   意味  ―  yìwèi  ―  meaning

   趣味  ―  qùwèi  ―  fun; taste

6. Classifier for ingredients of a Chinese medicine prescription.
7. Classifier for dishes.

   今日味味餸都啱嗮我胃口。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   今日味味𩠌都啱嗮我胃口。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   gam¹ jat⁶ mei⁶ mei⁶ sung³ dou¹ ngaam¹ saai³ ngo⁵ wai⁶ hau².

   Every dish here today is my kind of food.

   一魚幾味／一鱼几味 [Cantonese]  ―  jat¹ jyu⁴ gei² mei^6-2   ―  one fish, several dishes

8. (Cantonese) Classifier for things: kind; sort

   呢味嘢太惡搞喇。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   呢味嘢太恶搞喇。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   ni¹ mei^6-2 je⁵ taai³ ok³ gaau² laa³.

   This kind of stuff is too hard to handle.

   原來你中意嗰味嘢嘅。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   原来你中意嗰味嘢嘅。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   jyun⁴ loi⁴ nei⁵ zung¹ ji³ go² mei^6-2 je⁵ ge³.

   So you like that kind of stuff.

9. (particle physics) flavor

Others:

• → Proto-Hmong-Mien: *hmeiᴴ (“taste; to try”)
• → Vietnamese: mùi (“smell”)

• “味”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: み (mi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: び (bi)
• Kun: あじ (aji, 味, Jōyō)^{←あぢ (adi, 味, historical)}、あじわう (ajiwau, 味わう, Jōyō)^{←あぢはふ (adifafu, 味はふ, historical)}
• Nanori: うまし (umashi)、ちか (chika)

/adi/ → /ad͡ʑi/ → /aʑi/

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *anti.

• (Tokyo) あじ (Heiban – )^[1]
• IPA^(key):

味(あじ) • (aji) ^{←あぢ (adi)?}-na (adnominal 味(あじ)な (aji na), adverbial 味(あじ)に (aji ni))

1. clever, smart, witty
2. mysterious, strange

味(あじ) • (aji) ^{←あぢ (adi)?}

1. a flavour (UK)/flavor (US), taste

   Synonym: 味覚 (mikaku)

   • 2006 April 9, Nobuhiro Watsuki, “武(ブ)装(ソウ)錬(レン)金(キン)ピリオド [Armed Alchemy: The End]”, in 武(ブ)装(ソウ)錬(レン)金(キン) [Armed Alchemy], volume 10, Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:

     食(た)べる？ママの味(あじ)　正(せい)確(かく)にはママの出(で)来(き)損(そこ)ないの成(な)れの果(は)ての味(あじ)

     Taberu? Mama no aji Seikaku ni wa mama no dekisokonai no nare no hate no aji

     You want some? It has my mom’s taste. Well, actually it has the taste of my failed attempts at cloning her taste.

2. feeling, sensation

   Synonym: 感触 (kanshoku)

3. experience, taste

   Synonym: 味わい (ajiwai)

4. charm
5. (go) aji, the ‘flavour’ or lingering possibilities of a position

   味(あじ)が悪(わる)い

   aji ga warui

   there is bad aji

   (literally, “the flavour is bad”)

6. (go) bad aji, a lingering weakness in a position

• 味(あじ)わう (ajiwau)
• 味(あじ)気無(きな)い (ajikinai), 味(あじ)気無(けな)い (ajikenai)
• 紫陽花(アジサイ) (ajisai)
• 味(あじ)の素(もと) (Ajinomoto)

From Middle Chinese 味 (MC mj+jH).

Also used in Old Japanese as 借音 (shakuon) kana for ⟨mi₂⟩.

味(み) • (mi) 

1. flavor, taste
2. tasting, savoring
3. taste, savor
4. Alternative spelling of 身 (mi): body part

• 味(み)醂(りん) (mirin)

味(み) • (mi) 

1. a flavour (UK)/flavor (US), taste

   Synonym: 味覚 (mikaku)

• 味(み)方(かた) (mikata)

味(み) • (-mi) 

1. counter for kinds of food, drink, medicine, etc.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

味

Wikisource

味 (eumhun 맛 미 (mat mi))

1. hanja form^? of 미 (“taste”)

• 미각 (味覺, migak, “taste, palate”)
• 의미 (意味, uimi, “meaning”)
• 흥미 (興味, heungmi, “interest”)

From Proto-Japonic *anti.

味 (adi) (kana あぢ)

1. flavor, flavour

• 紫陽花 (adisawi)
• 味群 (adimura)

• Japanese: 味 (aji)

• あぢさはふ (adisapapu, pillow word that contains this kanji)

味 (uma-) (kana うま)

1. Alternative spelling of うま (uma-)

• 味飯 (umaipi₁)
• 味酒 (umasake₂)

味: Hán Nôm readings: vị, mùi, mồi

1. Nôm form of mùi (“smell; scent”).
2. chữ Hán form of vị (“taste; flavor”).