umami

American  

[oo-mah-mee] / uˈmɑ mi /

noun

1. a strong meaty taste imparted by glutamate and certain other amino acids: often considered to be one of the basic taste sensations along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.

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Etymology

Origin of umami

First recorded in 1960–65; from Japanese: literally, “savory quality, delicious taste,” equivalent to uma-, the inflectional stem of umai “(to be) delicious” + -mi, a suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

umami

Another company, Ajinomoto, uses byproducts from its world-famous umami seasoning to create insulating film for AI chips.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

A little salty, a little sweet, packed with the kind of umami flavor that takes any dish to the next level, and elevates a flavor profile to make you feel like a pro.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

Katelijne Bekers, the CEO and co-founder of MicroHarvest, describes the cat snack Vegcat as having an umami taste without the bitterness of some plant-based proteins.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

Others suggest jazzing up plain pizza with sprinkles of oregano, red pepper flakes and umami seasoning.

From Salon ● May 30, 2026

“It’s all in there—and by the way, umami means ‘deliciousness,’ even though I don’t remotely like mushrooms.”

From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead