Umami (/uːˈmɑːmi/), a savory taste, is one of the five basic tastes (together with sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness).A loanword from the Japanese (うま味), umami can be translated as "pleasant savory taste". This particular writing was chosen by Professor Kikunae Ikeda from umai (うまい) "delicious" and mi (味) "taste".