Word
さっぱり
Meaning in Englishrefreshing, completely not, neat
Word context
What it means
What does さっぱり mean? It denotes a clean, fresh, or refreshing quality, and extends to feelings of ease or relief; it can also express something done completely or clearly, with no lingering complexity.
Main meanings
- fresh, clean, or refreshing sensory qualities such as taste, smell, or atmosphere.
- completely or utterly, often with negation to mean not at all.
- feeling of relief or mental clarity, like being refreshed or having something settled.
- behavior or manner described as straightforward, neat, or plain.
How to use it
Used as adverb and adjective to describe taste, smell, atmosphere, or a state of mind; common in casual speech, can appear with 〜に, 〜している, さっぱりした, さっぱりだ; examples in Japanese illustrate everyday usage without translations.
Variants and close terms
- さっぱり (sappari) — fresh, clean; completely
- あっさり (assari) — light, simple; not heavy in taste or style
- すっきり (sukkiri) — clear, refreshed; relieved
Etymology
gitaigo native mimetic word representing a clean, fresh sensation; written in kana; not borrowed from another language.
Word class
adverb (副詞)