1.
soft-boiled, half-cooked
Describes food, especially eggs, that is not fully cooked through. The most common usage refers to soft-boiled or runny eggs.
半熟卵が好きだ。
I like soft-boiled eggs.
ラーメンには半熟の味玉をのせる。
I put a soft-boiled seasoned egg on my ramen.
目玉焼きは半熟に焼いてください。
Please fry the egg with a runny yolk.
2.
half-ripe, not fully mature
Describes fruit or produce that has not yet fully ripened. Can also be used figuratively for a person who is still immature or not fully developed in skill.
このトマトはまだ半熟だ。
This tomato is still half-ripe.
半熟のバナナは酸っぱい。
Half-ripe bananas are sour.
まだまだ半熟の技術者だが、将来が楽しみだ。
He's still an immature engineer, but his future looks promising.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 半熟卵 (soft-boiled egg)
- 半熟目玉焼き (sunny-side up with runny yolk)
- 半熟の味玉 (soft-boiled seasoned egg)
USAGE NOTES:
The most frequent use is for eggs. In everyday Japanese, 半熟 almost always refers to the degree of cooking for eggs — runny or soft rather than hard-boiled (固茹で). The sense 2 meaning (half-ripe fruit, immature person) is less common but appears in literary or descriptive contexts.