砂糖

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 砂糖(さとう) means sugar used to sweeten food or drinks.
• Basic usage: It is used when discussing how much sugar to add to coffee or how much is used in making sweets.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Less sugar and no sugar
  • 砂糖を控えめにして means using a modest amount of sugar. It should not be read as saying that no sugar was used.
• Expressing an amount
  • 小さじ一杯 is an amount of one teaspoon.