NETTO-RI ねっとり
Meanings
1. Describes something having a thick, smooth, strongly viscous or sticky consistency.
2. Describes speech, behavior, or a gaze as lingering and clinging in an unpleasantly persistent way.
Examples
This mango has a rich, dense, almost creamy texture.
このマンゴーはねっとりした食感だ。
The section chief’s roundabout, lingering way of speaking is unpleasant.
係長のものの言い方は、まわりくどく、ねっとりしていて不快だ。
The section chief keeps looking over my body with a lingering, lecherous gaze.
係長が、私の体をねっとりした目で見てくる。
Dogmatic Opinion
NETTO-RI is highly viscous, but not so viscous that it produces much sound.
I think a ripe mango can have a NETTO-RI texture. My wife says, “Nobody can draw that. It’s peanut butter.” Fair enough.
That relative quietness may help explain why NETTO-RI extends so naturally to things with no physical sound at all, such as a manner of speaking or a gaze.
The evaluation changes dramatically with context. A NETTO-RI mango may be delicious; a NETTO-RI stare is another matter entirely.
Proximate Expression
sticky
gooey
Related Words
For Japanese Learners
Thick, sticky, creamy, dense, gooey, or viscous may fit food and texture. For speech or a gaze, lingering, clinging, lecherous, or unpleasantly persistent is more natural. NETTO-RI is a good example of a Japanese texture word whose positive or negative value depends heavily on what it describes.
