タレ
たれ
noun
sauce, dipping sauce
1.
sauce, dipping sauce, glaze
A seasoning liquid used for dipping, marinating, or glazing food. Covers a wide range of sauces in Japanese cuisine.
タレをつける。
To dip in sauce.
焼き鳥はタレと塩、どちらにしますか。
For the yakitori, would you like sauce or salt?
この店の秘伝のタレは何十年も継ぎ足して使っているらしい。
Apparently this shop has been adding to and using the same secret sauce for decades.
WRITING:
Usually written in katakana as タレ, sometimes in hiragana as たれ. The kanji 垂れ exists but is rarely used for this meaning.
USAGE:
タレ is a general term for dipping sauces and glazes in Japanese cooking. It is distinct from ソース (Western-style sauce) and 醤油 (soy sauce).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 焼肉のタレ: yakiniku sauce
- 焼き鳥のタレ: yakitori glaze
- タレをかける: to pour sauce over
- 秘伝のタレ: secret sauce recipe