微 糖(びとう)

びとう

noun, no-adjective

low sugar, slightly sweetened

1. low sugar, slightly sweetened

A label used primarily on canned coffee and other beverages to indicate a small amount of added sugar, less than regular sweetened versions but not sugar-free.

微糖(びとう)のコーヒーを買(か)った。

I bought a low-sugar coffee.

甘(あま)いのは苦手(にがて)なので微糖(びとう)にした。

I don't like sweet things, so I went with low sugar.

自動販売機(じどうはんばいき)に微糖(びとう)と無糖(むとう)の缶(かん)コーヒーが並(なら)んでいる。

The vending machine has low-sugar and sugar-free canned coffees lined up.

Extremely common on Japanese beverage labels, especially canned coffee. The sweetness levels for canned coffee in Japan typically follow this scale:

加糖(かとう): sweetened (standard sugar)
微糖(びとう): slightly sweetened / low sugar
無糖(むとう): unsweetened / sugar-free
ブラック: black (no sugar or milk)

Common collocations

微糖(びとう)コーヒー: low-sugar coffee
微糖(びとう)タイプ: low-sugar type

Cultural note

The exact sugar content for 微糖(びとう) is not legally defined in Japan, so it varies by manufacturer. It generally contains less sugar than 加糖(かとう) but is not zero.

Related Words

Compare: 加糖(かとう) (sweetened)

general

Added 2026.3.27 14:30 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

19500/19896_bitou