試食（ししょく、shishoku）
- food sampling

The Japanese word 試食, pronounced ししょく (shishoku), means "to sample food," "food tasting," or "tasting." It refers to the act of trying a small portion of food to assess its flavor, quality, or to determine whether one likes it before purchasing or consuming a larger quantity. The word implies a short and focused evaluation of the food's taste. The core idea is to experience the food by consuming a small amount.

⚫︎ 新しいケーキの試食をしました。 Translation: I sampled the new cake. ⚫︎ デパートで、いろいろな食品の試食ができる。 Translation: You can try various foods at the department store. ⚫︎ 試食コーナーで、新しいお酒を試してみました。 Translation: I tried the new sake at the tasting corner.

You use 試食 when talking about tasting or sampling food, especially in situations like: ⚫︎ At a grocery store where they offer samples. ⚫︎ At a food fair or market. ⚫︎ When trying a new dish at a restaurant. ⚫︎ When a chef or food expert is evaluating food. The context usually suggests a small portion provided for tasting. The focus is always on assessing the food.

⚫︎ The word is typically written with the kanji 試 (shi - to try, to test) and 食 (shoku - to eat, food). The whole word is試食. ⚫︎ It is also always written in hiragana ししょく. ⚫︎ There are no significant variations in okurigana.

⚫︎ 味見 (ajimi) - to taste; to sample (generally used for small amounts) ⚫︎ テイスティング (te-sutingu) - tasting (borrowed word from English) ⚫︎ 試飲 (shiin) - tasting (of drinks, specifically)

There aren't direct antonyms for 試食, because it describes an action. However, the opposite of the activity could be: ⚫︎ 食べない (tabenai) - not eating ⚫︎ 購入しない (kounyuu shinai) - not purchasing

このお店では、毎日新しいパンの試食ができます。 ・Translation: At this shop, you can sample new bread every day. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the availability of food sampling at the store.

試食をしてから、気に入ったお菓子を買いました。 ・Translation: After the tasting, I bought the sweets I liked. ・Explanation: This describes the process of trying a sample before deciding to purchase a product.

The word 試食 is formed by combining the kanji 試 (shi), which means "to try" or "to test," with the kanji 食 (shoku), which means "to eat" or "food." This reflects the core meaning of the word - to "test" the food by "eating" a sample of it.