1.
to chew thoroughly, to bite down on
To chew food carefully and repeatedly, savoring its taste.
よく噛みしめて食べる。
To chew thoroughly and eat.
肉を噛みしめると旨味が広がった。
When I chewed the meat thoroughly, the umami spread.
一口ずつゆっくり噛みしめながら食事を楽しんだ。
I enjoyed the meal, slowly savoring each bite.
2.
to savor, to reflect deeply on, to take to heart
To think carefully about the meaning or significance of something, letting it sink in emotionally.
喜びを噛みしめる。
To savor one's joy.
先生の言葉を噛みしめた。
I reflected deeply on the teacher's words.
優勝した瞬間、チーム全員が勝利の喜びを噛みしめていた。
The moment they won the championship, every team member was savoring the joy of victory.
USAGE:
The figurative sense (sense 2) is very common. 喜びを噛みしめる (to savor one's joy) is a set phrase. The metaphor of "chewing" to mean deep reflection is natural and productive in Japanese.
CONJUGATION:
Ichidan verb (一段動詞).
- Negative: 噛みしめない
- Polite: 噛みしめます
- Te-form: 噛みしめて
- Past: 噛みしめた
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 喜びを噛みしめる: to savor one's joy
- 言葉を噛みしめる: to reflect on someone's words
- 幸せを噛みしめる: to savor one's happiness
- よく噛みしめて食べる: to chew well and eat