Japanese word for tangy


What's the Japanese word for "tangy"? It's a bit hard to define the word, but
it's something that has a sharp flavour, and it's not necessarily a pejorative
(saying that something's bad). For example, I might say that airag, or maybe
some slightly fermented yoghurt is tangy.

Neither jisho.org nor wiktionary has a translation.

I came across

> ぴりっとする、強いにおいのある

on weblio, but the second part seems to be a definition, not a translation,
saying strong smell, and the first part "ぴりっと" doesn't seem to be an exact
match.




I think ピリッとする is pretty good as a translation.

  * 酸っぱい  
Is often translated as "sour", but is often used by native speakers for
tangy/zingy taste, like sweet apple juice that has a certain zing to it. (Of
course, sweet and sour aren't mutually exclusive, so I think the Japanese
rightfully identify a certain acidity. Nevertheless, in this situation 酸っぱい
shouldn't necessarily be translated to "sour" and conversely 酸っぱい might be
used as "tangy" in certain situations.)

  * ピリッとする  
This often describes a certain tingly sensation in the tongue, like from spicy
food or fermented food (carbonic acid).

  * ツンとする  
Similar to ピリッとする, but more like the spiciness of mustard or _wasabi_ that is
felt in the nose.

For the "strong smell" sense of "tangy" there is also

  * 香りが強い Meaning "strong smell". May be used for foods/drinks that are especially aromatic. Although it might look clumsy ("like a definition"), it's in fact frequently used.




I think ピリッとする is pretty good as a translation.

  * 酸っぱい  
Is often translated as "sour", but is often used by native speakers for
tangy/zingy taste, like sweet apple juice that has a certain zing to it. (Of
course, sweet and sour aren't mutually exclusive, so I think the Japanese
rightfully identify a certain acidity. Nevertheless, in this situation 酸っぱい
shouldn't necessarily be translated to "sour" and conversely 酸っぱい might be
used as "tangy" in certain situations.)

  * ピリッとする  
This often describes a certain tingly sensation in the tongue, like from spicy
food or fermented food (carbonic acid).

  * ツンとする  
Similar to ピリッとする, but more like the spiciness of mustard or _wasabi_ that is
felt in the nose.

For the "strong smell" sense of "tangy" there is also

  * 香りが強い Meaning "strong smell". May be used for foods/drinks that are especially aromatic. Although it might look clumsy ("like a definition"), it's in fact frequently used.

