# 酸っぱい
## Japanese

* Kanji in this term
* 酸
* す Grade: 5
* kun'yomi

### Etymology

First cited to a text from 1823.
This appears to be a compound of 酸 (su-, stem of adjective 酸(す)い (sui, “sour”), in turn from 酢(す) (su, “vinegar”)) +‎ っぱい (-ppai, “-ish, having that quality”, suffix entailing negative overtones).
* The suffix -ppai may be related to more neutral suffix っぽい (ppoi, “-ish”).
* Alternatively, the suffix may represent a reanalysis of the -ppai ending in adjective 塩っぱい (shoppai, “salty”), where the ending derives from 映ゆい (hayui, “dazzling; very much that quality; too much that quality”). While there are historically attested examples of shoppai evolving from shio + hayushi (the classical form), where しほはゆし (shihohayushi) first appears in the late 1500s, there are no such attestations for the more recent word suppai.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) すっぱい [sùppáꜜì] (Nakadaka – [3])
* IPA: [sɨ̥p̚pa̠i]
* Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of 「酸っぱい」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| Continuative (連用形) | 酸っぱく | すっぱく | [sùppáꜜkù] |
| Terminal (終止形) | 酸っぱい | すっぱい | [sùppáꜜì] |
| Attributive (連体形) | 酸っぱい | すっぱい | [sùppáꜜì] |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | 酸っぱくない | すっぱくない | [sùppáꜜkùnàì] |
| Informal past | 酸っぱかった | すっぱかった | [sùppáꜜkàttà] |
| Informal negative past | 酸っぱくなかった | すっぱくなかった | [sùppáꜜkùnàkàttà] |
| Formal | 酸っぱいです | すっぱいです | [sùppáꜜìdèsù] |
| Conjunctive | 酸っぱくて | すっぱくて | [sùppáꜜkùtè] |
| Conditional | 酸っぱければ | すっぱければ | [sùppáꜜkèrèbà] |

### Adjective

酸(す)っぱい • (suppai) -i (adverbial 酸(す)っぱく (suppaku))
* [from 1823] sour

#### Inflection

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | 酸っぱかろ | すっぱかろ | suppakaro |
| Continuative (連用形) | 酸っぱく | すっぱく | suppaku |
| Terminal (終止形) | 酸っぱい | すっぱい | suppai |
| Attributive (連体形) | 酸っぱい | すっぱい | suppai |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | 酸っぱけれ | すっぱけれ | suppakere |
| Imperative (命令形) | 酸っぱかれ | すっぱかれ | suppakare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | 酸っぱくない | すっぱくない | suppaku nai |
| Informal past | 酸っぱかった | すっぱかった | suppakatta |
| Informal negative past | 酸っぱくなかった | すっぱくなかった | suppaku nakatta |
| Formal | 酸っぱいです | すっぱいです | suppai desu |
| Formal negative | 酸っぱくないです | すっぱくないです | suppaku nai desu |
| Formal past | 酸っぱかったです | すっぱかったです | suppakatta desu |
| Formal negative past | 酸っぱくなかったです | すっぱくなかったです | suppaku nakatta desu |
| Conjunctive | 酸っぱくて | すっぱくて | suppakute |
| Conditional | 酸っぱければ | すっぱければ | suppakereba |
| Provisional | 酸っぱかったら | すっぱかったら | suppakattara |
| Volitional | 酸っぱかろう | すっぱかろう | suppakarō |
| Adverbial | 酸っぱく | すっぱく | suppaku |
| Degree | 酸っぱさ | すっぱさ | suppasa |

#### Related terms

* 酸(す)い (sui, “sour”) (less common)

#### See also

Basic tastes in Japanese · 味覚(みかく) (mikaku) (layout · text) :
| 甘(あま)い (amai) | 酸(す)っぱい (suppai) | 塩(しょ)っぱい (shoppai) | 苦(にが​)い (niga​i) | 辛(から​)い (kara​i) | 旨味(うまみ) (umami) |

### References

* 1 2 3 “酸”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
* ↑ 酸っぱい／すっぱい - Gogen Yurai Jiten (in Japanese)
* ↑ すっぱい【酸っぱい】の語源・由来 (Etymology/Origin of SUPPAI) - Etymology Encyclopedia (in Japanese)
* ↑ “鹹映・塩映”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN