Chinese word

酱油

Pronunciation

Pinyinjiàng yóu

Meaning

  • nounsoy sauce

Example

我喜欢在饭里加一点酱油。wǒ xǐ huān zài fàn lǐ jiā yì diǎn jiàng yóu

I like adding a little soy sauce to my rice.

Illustration for 酱油 (soy sauce)

More examples

做菜时先放油，最后再加一点酱油提味。zuò cài shí xiān fàng yóu zuì hòu zài jiā yì diǎn jiàng yóu tí wèi

When cooking, add oil first, then add a little soy sauce at the end to enhance the flavor.

Core concept

A salty brown sauce that lends food a deep, fermented savoriness.

Common phrases

  • 加酱油jiā jiàng yóu

    add soy sauce

  • 一瓶酱油yì píng jiàng yóu

    a bottle of soy sauce

  • 酱油味jiàng yóu wèi

    soy sauce flavor

Similar words

调料tiáo liào: A general term for seasonings used to adjust the flavor of food.
酱jiàng: A thick or solid seasoning that gives food a strong flavor or aroma.
食盐shí yán: White crystals used to give food a salty taste.
醋cù: A liquid seasoning that gives food a sour taste.

Definition in Chinese

一种以大豆为主要原料，经发酵而成的液体调味品，具有鲜咸和酱香味，常用于拌、浇、煮、炒等多种烹饪方式。yì zhǒng yǐ dà dòu wéi zhǔ yào yuán liào jīng fā jiào ér chéng de yè tǐ tiáo wèi pǐn jù yǒu xiān xián hé jiàng xiāng wèi cháng yòng yú bàn jiāo zhǔ chǎo děng duō zhǒng pēng rèn fāng shì

Word origin

酱油 (jiàngyóu, "soy sauce") joins 酱 (jiàng, "fermented sauce") and 油 (yóu, "oil"), describing a fermented seasoning in liquid form.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, the word is treated as an ingredient name, so amounts are normally expressed with words such as a little, some, or a spoonful rather than as single items.

Related words

  • 酱油瓶jiàng yóu píngsoy sauce bottlenoun
  • 酱油厂jiàng yóu chǎngsoy sauce factorynoun

Word lists with this word