# Does Your Language Differentiate Between Hot (Warm), Hot (Spicy); and Spicy (Lots of Spices) and... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 8, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851 "2013-05-08T23:38:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/1 "2013-05-08T23:38:57Z")
In English, saying a dish is “hot” can mean either it’s very warm (temperature-wise), or it’s very spicy (lots of “heat” from peppers). Further, saying something is “spicy” can mean it has lots of spices (cinnamon, cloves, etc.), or that it has a lot of “heat” from capsaicin, piperine, etc. If you speak a language other than English, do you have words differentiating the different concepts? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2013, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/2 "2013-05-08T23:47:53Z")
Bengali – Hot (temperature) —_gorom_ Hot (chili heat/capsaicin) — _jhal_ Hot (mustard/wasabi heat) — _jhãj_ Spices — _moshla_ ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/3 "2013-05-09T01:42:56Z")
Nitpick: differentiate _among_ (three or more). _Between_ is for two things. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/4 "2013-05-09T01:43:54Z")
Korean certainly does. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/5 "2013-05-09T01:48:12Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Korean certainly does. Is it possible to share them here phonetically? Curious how different they are. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/6 "2013-05-09T01:52:50Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Is it possible to share them here phonetically? Curious how different they are. Bit awkward but here goes: Hot (warm): Tugupta Hot (spicy): Maepta Spicy (lots of spices): Yangneume mahnta ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/7 "2013-05-09T02:01:16Z")
In Spanish, as many can tell you, calorically hot is “caliente” (“hot”), while spicy things (the same range of flavors as in English – capsicum, but also to some degree cinnamon, etc.) are “picante” (they “prick” your tongue). Think of the “picador” – the guy who “pokes” or “pricks” the bull during a bullfight. And, I disagree that English “spicy” can mean “with lots of spices (but not necessarily ‘picante’)”. The word I’ve encountered for the idea you describe is usually “spiced,” or sometimes “strongly flavored.” In my experience, “spicy” always means “picante.” ---
**Author:** ![sundog66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@sundog66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sundog66)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/8 "2013-05-09T02:54:57Z")
I know that Mandarin Chinese distinguishes between hot (spicy) and hot (temperature). Not sure about about hot-spicy vs. lots-of-spices-spicy. > [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Nitpick: differentiate _among_ (three or more). _Between_ is for two things. English has been using _between_ in the context of more than two items for over a thousand years. It is only in the last 150 years that the rule you refer to has been baselessly fabricated and perpetuated. Good writers like Samuel Johnson, Jane Austen and T.S. Eliot did not follow this made-up rule. See the entry for “between” in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/9 "2013-05-09T03:03:24Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Bit awkward but here goes: > > Hot (warm): Tugupta > Hot (spicy): Maepta > Spicy (lots of spices): Yangneume mahnta There’s not really “a word” for spicy that means “lots of spices.” What **Qin** wrote is just a phrase that literally means “lots of condiments/seasoning”. Spice is hyang-shin-ryo, not yang-nyom. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/10 "2013-05-09T05:23:11Z")
I don’t know any Spanish beyond just a few words. I always pictured that “picante” means “sharp”. As in _salsa picante_ = _sharp sauce_ I knew the word _picador_, and also some English words with similar sounds, like _pick_ (as in pick-axe) and _piquant._ Is “sharp” a reasonable understanding of _picante?_ ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/11 "2013-05-09T05:52:47Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > And, I disagree that English “spicy” can mean “with lots of spices (but not necessarily ‘picante’)”. The word I’ve encountered for the idea you describe is usually “spiced,” or sometimes “strongly flavored.” In my experience, “spicy” always means “picante.” I disagree with your disagreement. In my experience, “spicy” can mean “lots of cinnamon,” for exampe, though 95% of the time it does mean spicy-hot. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/12 "2013-05-09T07:21:00Z")
With the aid of Google Translate and my 18-year old informant (who’s leaving Mr. and Mrs. Septimus for University soon :eek: ) I’ll report on a few Thai words: ร้อน (‘rorn’) - hot เผ็ด (‘phet’) - spicy-hot เผ็ดร้อน (‘phet-rorn’) - spicy-hot, leading to hot sensation inside รสจัด (‘rot-chat’) - very flavored (peppery and tart) ฉุน (‘chun’) - spicy enough to make one sneeze แซ่บ (‘saap’) - deliciously spicy The last is a borrowed word, coming from Laotian where the word means simply ‘delicious.’ Borrowing is common in Thai. My informant tells me that teenagers have recently coined a new word by combining Laotian ‘saap’ with English ‘over’ : แซ่บเวอร์ (‘saap-wur’) - superlative, usually complimentary, unrelated to food. [Here’s a Google hit from searching แซ่บเวอร์](http://i.kapook.com/ninn/n26-0312/020412_NickiMinajPinkFriday_2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/13 "2013-05-09T07:36:14Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I don’t know any Spanish beyond just a few words. > > I always pictured that “picante” means “sharp”. As in _salsa picante_ = _sharp sauce_ > > I knew the word _picador_, and also some English words with similar sounds, like _pick_ (as in pick-axe) and _piquant._ > > Is “sharp” a reasonable understanding of _picante?_ No. “Sharp” as in _a sharp knife_, would mean “afilado” (sharpened), a word that would make no sense when describing food. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/14 "2013-05-09T07:59:01Z")
In German, it’s “heiß” for temperature, “scharf” (sharp) for hot/spicy, and I don’t think there’s a word for spice-spicy that conveys what you mean. There’s “würzig” (literally spicy), but that doesn’t translate to “lots of spices”, it’s more like flavorful or savory. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/15 "2013-05-09T09:43:06Z")
In English we have the word ‘aromatic’, which can be (and is) used to describe spicy-but-not-hot-spicy ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/16 "2013-05-09T10:25:17Z")
> [@Sr\_Siete](#): > > No. “Sharp” as in _a sharp knife_, would mean “afilado” (sharpened), a word that would make no sense when describing food. Right. Or, “agudo” – sharp like a pointy rock, spear, etc. Not used to describe the flavor of food. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/17 "2013-05-09T10:27:52Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > In English we have the word ‘aromatic’, which can be (and is) used to describe spicy-but-not-hot-spicy And sometimes “savory” is sort of used in this way. (ETA: Ninja’d, sort of, by Pitchmeister), ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/18 "2013-05-09T10:38:52Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Is “sharp” a reasonable understanding of _picante?_ Sr. Siete already answered this well. I’ll add that the context you most often come across the verb “picar,” besides spicy food, is insect bites. That is, insects don’t bite – they prick. “Me picó un mosco” – “a mosquito bit me.” A popular drug to get rid of human intestinal worms had a commercial “Si te pica la colita…,” meaning “if your rear end is itchy…”. So, “picar” has connotations of itchiness which may, for some Spanish speakers, spill over (perhaps subconsciously) into how they process the concept of “spiciness” (similar to, but not as directly, as we English speakers process it on some level as “heat”). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/19 "2013-05-09T10:48:31Z")
(I should add that there’s another way to say “itch” in Spanish – “dar comezón”. So, “picar” conveys an especially “pricky” kind of itchiness. You could say it conveys in one word the English phrase “itching and burning” seen on tubes of medical creams. Which brings us back to extended uses of “heat” in English!). ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/20 "2013-05-09T15:23:59Z")
Spanish: Hot (temperature): Caliente Hot (spicy): Picante Spicy: Especiado [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851.md?page=2)