# 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:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![\_3Bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b9e5f3/32.png) [@\_3Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_3Bill)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/41 "2013-05-10T03:52:34Z")
Japanese atsui temp hot karai spicy hot But salty is shio karai, just karai if context makes it clear. So they have to pay back the gourmet cachet they got for umami as the 5th taste. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/42 "2013-05-10T06:36:15Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > 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. Horrible example, since cinnamon is considered spicy hot. All sorts of candy refer to extra cinnamon as “hot.” Hot Tamale, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![auRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@auRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auRa)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/43 "2013-05-10T06:50:29Z")
Finnish: kuuma = temperature tulinen (“fiery”) = spicy mausteinen = spicy as in lots of spices ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/44 "2013-05-10T07:51:39Z")
Tagalog mainit - hot malasa - tasty/well-seasoned/spicy maanghang - piquant/pungent/too spicy ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/45 "2013-05-10T12:35:41Z")
> [@Septima](#): > > Norwegian does. > > \*Varmt \* is the temperature > _Sterkt_ is the word for spicy-hot (lit. “strong”) > _Krydret_ is the word for lots-of-spices, or spice mixes or blends. Cinnamon/chili/black pepper cocoa is _krydret_, as are meat dishes with several dominant herbs and so forth. And as usual Swedish and Norwegian go hand in hand, though I would say: _Varm_ _Stark_ (or _kryddstark_) _Kryddig_ ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/46 "2013-05-11T23:39:39Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Spanish: > > Hot (temperature): Caliente > Hot (spicy): Picante > Spicy: Especiado In México there is also another word, perhaps unique to this country, for hot as in picante, _enchiloso(a)_. It comes from the word _chile_. And I think for spicy you will hear the word _condimentado_ used more commonly. Again, I am speaking of the Mexican Spanish dialect. ---
**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 12, 2013, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/47 "2013-05-12T09:20:35Z")
Johanna, that is fascinating, that Arabic does the “spicy=hot” thing. Whoever made the point about English having the hots for “hot” (many extended uses of the term) – great observation. CBEscapee, good point about the (Mexican) Spanish verb “enchilar(se)”. It’s amusing that this word can encompass what takes a whole phrase, at least, in English: “Me enchilé” = “I ate too much of some spicy food and now I feel like I’m burning up.” ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/48 "2013-05-12T10:00:32Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > But you wouldn’t say “spicy” unless you meant spicy-hot. It’s a weird distinction because “spice” or “spiced” doesn’t mean spicy-hot, it means any kind of spice. Yeah, I’m with you. I’d never say spicy to mean a lot of spices (that aren’t hot). Aaand now spicy looks weird. Stupid [semantic satiation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_satiation). ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/49 "2013-05-12T11:02:27Z")
In Thai: Hot (temperature) = _rawn_ (drawn-out vowel, high tone) Hot (spicy) = _phet_ (with a hard P sound, short-duration vowel, high tone) ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/50 "2013-05-12T12:58:42Z")
Hindi , Hot (Warm) - \*garam \*| Hot (Spicy) - \*Teekha \*| Salty - \*Namkeen \*| Spicy (Lots of Spices) - _Masaledaar_ \*teekha \*is used for sharp as well. \*garam, teekha, Namkeen \*are sometimes used to describe hot women as well. I guess this might the same in other languages as well. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/51 "2013-05-13T06:09:54Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > 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). > [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > Spanish: > > Hot (temperature): Caliente > Hot (spicy): Picante > Spicy: Especiado What they said, although in Spain we douldn’t use _especiado_. I’ve heard both that and _especioso_ from Latin American people (I heard _especioso_ in Costa Rica). Something with lots of non-hot spices would be described, rather than get a single word; often the specific spice would be named (_tiene mucho clavo_, this has a lot of cloves). Catalan has the same distinction between\* calent\* and _picant_. Note that a person will not “be _caliente/calent_” as in “it’s too hot here”: we “have heat” (_tenemos calor, tenim calor_). Saying _estoy caliente_ does mean “I’m hot”, but in the sexually aroused sense. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/52 "2013-05-13T06:17:23Z")
OOT: _soy caliente_ means “I get aroused at the drop of a nail”. So yeah, it’s one of those things that lead to a lot of pregnant silences when someone with Spanish as a second language slips up. Very pregnant silences… ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/53 "2013-05-13T08:10:15Z")
Mandarin: Hot (Temperature): shao, re, tang Hot (Capsaicin): la Spicy: I’m not sure, actually. If it was moderately spiced, it would be “xiang” (lit. fragrant) as in “zhe ge ping guo pai hao xiang ah” (this apple pie is quite fragrant), but if it were too spicy, you’d go straight to “la” (as in you dumped a pot of cinnamon in). If it’s just too strong tasting, you might say “wei dao tai zhong le” (lit. the flavour is too [strong/heavy]) or “wei dao hen/tai zhong” (lit. flavour (is) very/too [strong/heavy]). “Xiang” is used for lots of nice flavours/scents, though. The smell of sesame oil in stir fries is commonly referred to as being “xiang”, and flowers are “xiang” as well. It has positive connotations, and would never be used in a negative sense. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-your-language-differentiate-between-hot-warm-hot-spicy-and-spicy-lots-of-spices-and/657851/54 "2013-05-13T17:27:19Z")
Mandarin Chinese: Hot: “Tung” Spicy: “La” [Previous 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)