umami

1 of 2

noun

uma·​mi ü-ˈmä-mē 

: the taste sensation that is produced by several amino acids and nucleotides (such as glutamate and aspartate) and has a rich or meaty flavor characteristic of cheese, cooked meat, mushrooms, soy, and ripe tomatoes : savory entry 2 sense 2

Umami is often described as a meaty flavor and is particularly strong in aged or fermented products, like cheese and wine.

—Carla Ranicki

compare bitter entry 2 sense 1b, salty entry 2 sense 1b, sour entry 2 sense 1b, sweet entry 3 sense 2

umami

2 of 2

adjective

: being, inducing, or marked by one of the five basic taste sensations that is typically induced by several amino acids and nucleotides (such as glutamate and aspartate) and has a rich or meaty flavor characteristic of cheese, cooked meat, mushrooms, soy, and ripe tomatoes

A crab risotto made from local crabs is powerful with the big umami flavor of brown meat.

—Jay Rayner

: savory entry 1 sense e compare bitter entry 1 sense 1a, salty entry 1 sense 1b, sour entry 1 sense 1, sweet entry 1 sense 1

Did you know?

A Japanese scientist was the first to discover the savory taste of the amino acid glutamic acid, which was found to occur in soup stocks made with seaweed. This fifth basic taste—alongside sweet, sour, salty, and bitter—was named umami, meaning "savoriness" in Japanese. Umami can be experienced in foods such as mushrooms, anchovies, and mature cheeses, as well as in foods enhanced with monosodium glutamate, or MSG, a sodium salt derived from glutamic acid.

Examples of umami in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Original Price: $24.95 Sale Price: $22.50 (10% off) Buy Now on Amazon Naoki Matcha Superior Ceremonial Blend This ceremonial blend of matcha is rich and smooth with a little bit of bitterness and umami. —Lauryn Jiles, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025

Our recipe for company chicken calls for button mushrooms, but any mushroom variety would beautifully absorb its flavorful, velvety sauce and pack some umami. —Catherine Jessee, Southern Living, 22 Feb. 2025

Adjective

His version uses browned butter and adds miso to infuse it with umami flavors. —Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2025

But the best part of all is arguably the ginger fish sauce used for dipping the duck in, adding a touch of spice and umami to every bite. —Christina Liao, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Japanese, savoriness, flavor

First Known Use

Noun

1963, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1978, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for umami

• chamois
• clammy
• grammy
• mammy
• sami
• sammie
• sammy
• tammy

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Medical Definition

umami

noun

uma·​mi ü-ˈmä-mē 

: a taste sensation that is meaty or savory and is produced by several amino acids and nucleotides (as aspartate, inosinate, and glutamate)

umami adjective