渋い

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: It is read しぶい. This い-adjective describes an astringent taste or an understated, mature appeal in colors and styles.
• Basic usage: It describes foods such as persimmons that leave an astringent sensation in the mouth. The example says the persimmon is still too astringent to eat.
  • この柿はまだ渋くて食べられない。

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Taste versus understated style
  • 渋い色 refers to a subdued, restrained color, rather than a taste.
  • In descriptions of food, it also differs from 苦い, which means bitter.