A fermented paste (usually from soybeans) used as a seasoning, e.g. in miso soup.
朝はいつも味噌汁を飲む。
I always have miso soup in the morning.
味噌を少し足して煮物にコクを出した。
I added a little miso to the simmered dish to give it more richness.
白味噌と赤味噌では風味が全く違う。
White miso and red miso have completely different flavors.
The rich, flavorful innards of crustaceans (such as crab or shrimp) that resemble miso.
カニの味噌を白いご飯にのせて食べた。
I put the crab's innards (miso) on white rice and ate it.
海老の味噌は味が濃くて好きだ。
I like shrimp innards (miso) because they have a strong flavor.
The key point or crux of something (usually written as ミソ).
プレゼンのミソは数字の裏付けだ。
The crux of the presentation is the numerical evidence.
交渉のミソは妥協点を早めに作ることだ。
The key to negotiations is to create a compromise early.
企画書のミソを一行でまとめてください。
Please summarize the crux of the proposal in one line.
A derogatory slang term for a weak or ineffectual person.
大事な場面で頼りにならない彼を、同僚はミソ扱いした。
His colleagues treated him like a 'miso' because he was unreliable in important situations.
A jocular imperative formed as a pun on 見ろ — attaches after a verb's -te form to mean 'try (doing) it' or 'see for yourself'.
これ、食べてみそ！すごくおいしいよ。
Try eating this! It's really delicious.
新しい機能、使ってみそと言われて半信半疑で試した。
They told me to try the new feature, so I tried it half-skeptically.