Translation guide
The state of being fully developed and ready to eat or use, especially for fruit. In Japanese, this is expressed through nouns, adjectives, and descriptive phrases depending on context.
Describing the condition of being ripe, often in agricultural or culinary contexts.
Common noun meaning 'degree of ripeness'. Used when discussing how ripe something is.
このメロンは熟れ具合がちょうどいい。
This melon has just the right ripeness.
Technical term for 'ripeness level', used in agriculture and food science.
果実の熟度を測定する。
Measure the ripeness of the fruit.
Literally 'eating time', meaning the optimal ripeness for consumption. Very common in daily life.
このバナナは食べ頃です。
This banana is at its peak ripeness.
Nominalized phrase meaning 'the state of being ripe'. Used when a noun form is needed.
熟していることが重要です。
Ripeness is important.
Using adjectives to describe the ripeness of fruit, vegetables, or other items.
Past tense of 熟する, used as an adjective meaning 'ripe'. Standard and neutral.
熟したトマトは甘い。
Ripe tomatoes are sweet.
Progressive form of 熟れる, meaning 'is ripe'. Very common in spoken Japanese.
この桃はもう熟れている。
This peach is already ripe.
Noun or na-adjective meaning 'fully ripe'. Often used for premium fruit.
Expressions used when assessing whether something is ripe.
Pattern meaning 'to check the ripeness of ~'. Use with fruit or vegetable names.
スイカの熟れ具合を見る。
Check the ripeness of the watermelon.
Phrase meaning 'whether it is ripe or not'. Used in questions or indirect statements.
このアボカドは熟しているかどうかわからない。
I can't tell if this avocado is ripe.
Metaphorical or extended uses of ripeness, such as maturity or readiness.
Noun meaning 'aging' or 'maturation', used for cheese, wine, meat, etc. Implies developed ripeness through time.
このチーズは熟成が進んでいる。
This cheese has reached a good ripeness.
Noun meaning 'maturity' or 'mellowness', often used for skills, personality, or art. Literary.
Idiomatic phrase meaning 'the time is ripe' for an action or decision. Formal.
改革の機が熟した。
The time is ripe for reform.
Both mean 'to ripen', but 熟す (じゅくす) is more formal and often used in writing or technical contexts, while 熟れる (うれる) is common in everyday speech. For describing ripeness, 熟している and 熟れている are both used, with the latter being more colloquial.
English 'ripeness' is often translated as 熟度 or 熟れ具合, but in many natural Japanese sentences, it's better to use an adjective like 熟している or a phrase like 食べ頃. For example, 'The ripeness of this fruit is perfect' is more naturally expressed as この果物は熟れ具合が完璧だ or simply この果物はちょうどいい熟れ具合だ.
アボカドを買う前に熟れ具合を確認してください。
Check the ripeness of the avocado before buying.
チーズの熟成が風味に深みを加えている。
The ripeness of the cheese adds depth to the flavor.
完熟マンゴーはとても甘い。
Fully ripe mangoes are very sweet.
彼の演技には円熟が見られる。
His acting shows a certain ripeness.