The kanji 酸 generally means "acid," "sour," or "acidity." It represents substances or tastes characterized by their tartness or ability to react with other materials. The character implies a chemical property related to sharpness, biting sensation, or the presence of hydrogen ions.

・On-yomi (音読み): サン (san) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): す(っぱい) (suppai)

⚫︎酸っぱいリンゴ Translation: Sour apple ⚫︎クエン酸 Translation: Citric acid ⚫︎酸性雨 Translation: Acid rain

The kanji 酸 is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), a phono-semantic compound. It combines two elements: ⚫︎The radical 酉 (とり, tori) on the left side, which originally depicted a wine container or jar, implying things related to liquids or fermentation. ⚫︎The phonetic component 夋 (そん, son) on the right side, which provides the sound and originally related to the idea of "slight" or "slow". The combination initially referred to the sour taste associated with wine that has been fermented or gone bad, and gradually extended to encompass the broader meaning of "acid" or "sourness" in other substances. Over time, the character evolved to represent the chemical property of acidity.