Tsukemono is preserved food that vegetables (fish or meat, sometimes) are pickled together with pickling ingredients having high osmotic pressure, having an effect to decrease hydrogen-ion exponent or having an effect to shut off from the air such as salt, vinegar, rice-bran paste, soy sauce, sake lees or fat and oil, to improve preservation quality as well as to improve taste and flavor by maturing.
漬物（つけもの）とは、野菜（場合によっては魚や動物）などを食塩、酢、糠味噌、醤油、酒粕、油脂など高い浸透圧を生じたり水素イオン指数を下げる効果を持つ、あるいは空気と遮断する効果を持つ漬け込み材料とともに漬け込み、保存性を高めるとともに熟成させ、風味を良くした保存食品。