谷氨酸

穀氨酸

gǔ'ānsuān

noun #48,785

Meanings

1 glutamic acid (Glu)
2 glutamate (the amino acid)

Characters

grain (here: gluten source)

ammonia / amino

Examples

谷氨酸是组成蛋白质的二十种氨基酸之一。

Gǔ'ānsuān shì zǔchéng dànbáizhì de èrshí zhǒng ānjīsuān zhī yī.

Glutamic acid is one of the twenty amino acids that make up proteins.

味精的主要成分是谷氨酸钠。

Wèijīng de zhǔyào chéngfèn shì gǔ'ānsuān nà.

The main ingredient of MSG is sodium glutamate.

Tips

memory

Break it down: 谷 (gǔ, grain — historically extracted from wheat gluten), 氨 (ān, ammonia — for the amino group), 酸 (suān, acid). Sodium glutamate (谷氨酸钠) is what gives MSG its umami kick.

Stroke Order

谷 gǔ

氨 ān

酸 suān