三温糖(さんおんとう)

さんおんとう
noun
light brown sugar (Japanese type)
foodcooking
1. light brown sugar; sanontou (a Japanese sugar with a caramel-like color and flavor)
A Japanese type of brown sugar produced by repeatedly heating the sugar syrup that remains after white sugar is extracted. It is pale brown with a mild caramel flavor and is used widely in home cooking, especially for simmered dishes.
砂糖(さとう)は三温糖(さんおんとう)を使(つか)う。
I use sanontou (light brown sugar) as my sugar.
三温糖(さんおんとう)を入(い)れると煮物(にもの)にコクが出(で)る。
Adding sanontou gives simmered dishes a richer flavor.
うちの家(いえ)では白砂糖(しろざとう)より三温糖(さんおんとう)を使(つか)うことが多(おお)い。
At our house we use sanontou more often than white sugar.

Written with 三(さん) (three), 温(おん) (warm, heat), and 糖(とう) (sugar). The name reflects the production process, in which the sugar syrup is heated three times, giving the sugar its characteristic caramel color and flavor.

Despite its appearance, 三温糖(さんおんとう) is not truly unrefined sugar — it is refined white sugar whose remaining syrup has been caramelized by repeated heating. It is especially popular in traditional Japanese cooking for 煮物(にもの) (simmered dishes) and 照(て)り焼(や)き.

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 白砂糖(しろざとう): white sugar — the most common refined sugar
  • 黒砂糖(こくざとう): unrefined brown/black sugar — darker and stronger-flavored
  • グラニュー糖(とう): granulated sugar — larger crystals, neutral flavor
  • きび砂糖(ざとう): raw cane sugar — pale brown, less processed than sanontou

Related Words

Compare: 白砂糖(しろざとう) (white sugar)
Compare: グラニュー糖(とう) (granulated sugar)
Compare: 黒糖(こくとう) (brown sugar)
Compare: 上白糖(じょうはくとう) (refined white sugar)
general
Added 2026.4.13 4:25 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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