suān
sour
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柠檬很酸。
níngméng hěn suān.
Lemons are sour.
醋很酸，不能多喝。
cù hěn suān, bùnéng duō hē.
Vinegar is sour, so you can't drink too much of it.
酸奶很好喝。
suān nǎi hěn hǎo hē.
Yogurt is delicious.
甜 (tián)
sweet
苦 (kǔ)
bitter
The Chinese character 酸 (suān) for "sour" is composed of two parts: the radical 酉 (yǒu) and the phonetic component 爫 (cuān). The radical 酉 represents wine or alcohol, which are often associated with sour tastes. The phonetic component 爫 is a simplified form of the character 爫 (cuān), which means "to roast" or "to burn". This component suggests the idea of something that is hot and pungent, which can also be associated with sour tastes.Together, the radical and phonetic components of 酸 create a character that represents the concept of "sour". This character is used in a variety of words related to sourness, such as 酸味 (suānwèi, "sour taste"), 酸奶 (suānnǎi, "sour milk"), and 酸菜 (suāncài, "pickled vegetables").
