1.
sweetness, sweet taste
The quality of being sweet in taste. Used especially in food and cooking contexts when discussing the sweet element of a flavor profile.
このトマトは甘味が強い。
This tomato has a strong sweetness.
塩を少し加えると甘味が引き立つ。
Adding a little salt brings out the sweetness.
甘味料を使わずに果物の自然な甘味だけで仕上げたジャムです。
This is a jam finished using only the natural sweetness of the fruit, without any sweeteners.
2.
sweet, dessert, confection
A sweet food item, especially traditional Japanese sweets and desserts. Used as a general term for sweets in food culture contexts.
食後に甘味はいかがですか。
Would you like a dessert after your meal?
この甘味処は抹茶パフェが人気だ。
This sweets shop is popular for its matcha parfait.
京都には老舗の甘味処がたくさんあり、観光客に人気のスポットになっている。
Kyoto has many long-established sweets shops, which have become popular spots for tourists.
READING NOTE:
The same kanji 甘味 can also be read あまみ, which means sweetness as a taste quality. The reading かんみ covers both the taste quality (sense 1) and the food item (sense 2), while あまみ is limited to the taste quality only.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 甘味が強い (strong sweetness)
- 甘味料 (sweetener)
- 甘味処 (Japanese sweets shop)
- 甘味を楽しむ (enjoy sweets)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 甘さ: sweetness (general, can be abstract — sweetness of life, etc.)
- お菓子: snacks, sweets (broader category including Western and Japanese sweets)
- 和菓子: Japanese sweets (specifically traditional Japanese confections)
Related Words
Related:
甘味 (sweetness (different reading))