Translation guide
Soy sauce is a fundamental Japanese condiment. The most common word is 醤油 (しょうゆ). There are also specific types and related terms.
醤油
soy sauce
The standard condiment used in cooking and at the table.
The general term for soy sauce. Used in cooking and as a table condiment.
醤油を少し入れてください。
Please add a little soy sauce.
この料理には醤油が合います。
Soy sauce goes well with this dish.
A euphemistic or elegant term for soy sauce, literally 'purple'. Often used in sushi restaurants or traditional settings.
むらさきを取ってください。
Please pass the soy sauce.
Specific varieties of soy sauce distinguished by color, flavor, or usage.
Dark soy sauce, the most common type in Japan. Used for general cooking and seasoning.
濃口醤油はどんな料理にも使えます。
Dark soy sauce can be used in any dish.
Tamari soy sauce, made mainly from soybeans with little wheat. Thicker and richer, often used for sashimi.
White soy sauce, very light in color, used in dishes where dark color is undesirable, like chawanmushi.
Seasonings or sauces derived from or containing soy sauce.
Soy sauce infused with dashi, used for seasoning without needing separate dashi.
だし醤油をかけるだけで美味しくなります。
Just adding dashi soy sauce makes it delicious.
Ponzu soy sauce, a citrus-flavored soy sauce often used for shabu-shabu or grilled meats.
ポン酢醤油で食べるとさっぱりします。
Eating with ponzu soy sauce gives a refreshing taste.
Instead of saying 醤油, you might hear むらさき. It's a traditional term used by sushi chefs and connoisseurs.
Light soy sauce, lighter in color but saltier. Often used in Kansai region to preserve the color of ingredients.
薄口醤油は色が薄いですが、塩分は強いです。
Light soy sauce is pale in color but has a stronger saltiness.
たまり醤油は刺身によく合います。
Tamari soy sauce goes very well with sashimi.
白醤油は茶碗蒸しに使われます。
White soy sauce is used in chawanmushi.