Bitter crossings — the lab's proposed map
Bitterness can be named by what stands beside it
At the centre is "bitter". When the partner taste weakens bitterness without leaving its own mark, the result falls into the existing word 「ほろ苦い」 (horonigai, "gently bitter"). When the partner remains in the result and stands side by side with bitterness, the lab calls it by one of eight coined names. The Japanese coinage is shown in parentheses; these are proposals, not established terms.
- Sweet-bittersweetness × bitterness (甘苦い)
- Salty-bittersaltiness × bitterness (しょっぱ苦い)
- Sour-bittersourness × bitterness (すっぱ苦い)
- Umami-bitterumami × bitterness (うま苦い)
- Pungent-bitterpungency × bitterness (から苦い)
- Astringent-bitterastringency × bitterness (しぶ苦い)
- Egumi-bitteregumi × bitterness (えぐ苦い)
- Roast-bitterroast aroma × bitterness (こげ苦い)
The map with all eight positions is on the Japanese page. See also the topic hubs and the research notes in English.