味觉 (wèi jué) — sense of taste | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

One of the five senses: the physical ability to taste. 味觉 pairs with 听觉 and 嗅觉 as the body’s sensory faculties, while 味道 and 口味 mean the flavor itself.

noun

sense of taste

Examples

味觉，。
Tā de wèi jué fēi cháng líng mǐn, néng cháng chū xì wēi de chā bié.
His sense of taste is very sensitive and can detect subtle differences.
味觉。
Shēng bìng shí wèi jué huì biàn de chí dùn.
When you are sick, your sense of taste becomes dull.
味觉。
wèi jué Hé xiù jué mì qiè xiāng guān.
The sense of taste and the sense of smell are closely related.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

The sense of taste combines 味 'taste' with 觉 'sense'.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

口未味

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

未

未wèi味wèi

Same sound today

味 combines 口 (mouth) with 未, which gives the sound wèi; the mouth part relates to taste.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 覺; 觉 is its simplified writing.

𦥯見覺

Meaning part形符xíngfú

見見jiànsee

Sound part声符shēngfú

𦥯

𦥯𦥯覺jué

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 覺 pairs 見, a part that means see, with 𦥯, a part that gives the sound; simplified 觉 is a later abbreviation.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Senses

Browse more HSK 6 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.