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sappari

English translation: "Refreshing" or "Plain"

00:37 Nov 19, 1999
Japanese to English translations [PRO]
Marketing
Japanese term or phrase: sappari
"sappari shita aji ga sukii" no sappari.

My dictionary says "simple", but I don't think that tells the whole story. "Light" seems better. Any ideas for a more descriptive term?
Rumia
Japan
Local time: 20:20
English translation:"Refreshing" or "Plain"
Explanation:
Could mean in many ways. Since you limit the use of the word just for eating, I would say the the words I wrote aformentioned would mean somehow properly. Please, email me at teacup@ televar.com if you need a further explanation.

Regards, and good luck!
Hiro
Selected response from:

teacup
United States
Grading comment
Thanks for your quick answer. I will use "refreshing."
3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
nalight, crisp, with no aftertaste
Maynard Hogg
na"Refreshing" or "Plain"
teacup
nalight, refreshing, soothing, mild
Ellie Kato
narefreshing, not heavy but light
Bora Leng
naat all
Richard Patner
naSappari means "tasteless and bland"
Maximillian Ng (X)


  

Answers


44 mins
light, crisp, with no aftertaste


Explanation:
I don't know where your dictionary got "simple" from. I suggest that you get something better. Even the much maligned Green Goddess (a.k.a. the Kenkyusha J-E Dictionary)lists six different meanings--with examples.

I would also suggest that, in future, you address such queries to HONYAKU, the J-E translation mailing list. WARNING: Traffic runs over 50 messages a day.

[email protected] - subscribe to a list.
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Maynard Hogg
Canada
Local time: 04:20
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in pair: 478
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1 hr
"Refreshing" or "Plain"


Explanation:
Could mean in many ways. Since you limit the use of the word just for eating, I would say the the words I wrote aformentioned would mean somehow properly. Please, email me at teacup@ televar.com if you need a further explanation.

Regards, and good luck!
Hiro

teacup
United States
PRO pts in pair: 3
Grading comment
Thanks for your quick answer. I will use "refreshing."
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7 hrs
light, refreshing, soothing, mild


Explanation:
I'm afraid there's some repetition... but if you restrict the word Sappari to taste, it's something that's not too strong in taste. If one is a Japanese, he might feel just plain rice with pickles and miso-soup is Sappari, while Italian food with lots of cheese and olive oil as the opposite of Sappari - Kudoi.

Ellie Kato
Local time: 20:20
PRO pts in pair: 4
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8 hrs
refreshing, not heavy but light


Explanation:
Example: when cook steak and apply BBQ sauce the taste is heavy, but if you put only lemon juice, the taste is light and refreshing. You can say the same in like drinks, ect..

Bora Leng
Local time: 06:20
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9 hrs
at all


Explanation:
For what it's worth, sappari wakarimasen means "I don't understand AT ALL".

Richard Patner
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20 days
Sappari means "tasteless and bland"


Explanation:
To fully understand "sappari" you have to realize that a word has a "denotation" and a "connotation," and when going from one language to another cultural factors can cause a split between the two. Denotatively, "sappari" means "tasteless and bland." But connotatively, in English we would interpret that negatively, while in Japanese, lack of any significant stimulation of any sort is a positive. So the full correct translation might be "This is tasteless and bland, and I like it!"

Maximillian Ng (X)
Local time: 19:20
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