Japanese food made by dipping pieces of seafood or vegetable in a thin, cold batter and frying them quickly in hot oil. The point of good tempura is lightness: the coating should be pale and crisp, almost lacy, not thick and brown like the batter on British fish and chips.

Japanese food made by dipping pieces of seafood or vegetable in a thin, cold batter把海鮮或蔬菜沾上一層薄薄、冰涼的麵糊的日本食物， and frying them quickly in hot oil再放進熱油裡快速炸過。 The point of good tempura is lightness好的天婦羅重點在於輕盈： the coating should be pale and crisp, almost lacy外皮應該是淡色、酥脆，幾乎像蕾絲一樣， not thick and brown like the batter on British fish and chips不是像英式炸魚薯條那種又厚又焦黃的麵衣。

Prawns, squid, sweet potato, pumpkin, aubergine and green pepper are the usual pieces, and it is eaten with a dipping sauce or just salt.

Prawns, squid, sweet potato, pumpkin, aubergine and green pepper are the usual pieces蝦子、花枝、地瓜、南瓜、茄子和青椒是常見的食材， and it is eaten with a dipping sauce or just salt吃的時候沾醬汁，或只沾一點鹽。

In English the word is a mass noun — "we ordered tempura", not "a tempura" — and it works in front of another word to name a dish: "tempura prawns", "vegetable tempura", "tempura udon". It is also used loosely on Western menus for anything fried in that light style, even things no Japanese cook would do that way.

In English the word is a mass noun在英文裡這個字是不可數名詞——"we ordered tempura", not "a tempura"是『we ordered tempura（我們點了天婦羅）』，不是『a tempura』——and it works in front of another word to name a dish它也可以放在另一個字前面，用來講一道菜的名字： "tempura prawns", "vegetable tempura", "tempura udon"『tempura prawns（炸蝦天婦羅）』、『vegetable tempura（蔬菜天婦羅）』、『tempura udon（天婦羅烏龍麵）』。 It is also used loosely on Western menus for anything fried in that light style在西式菜單上，它也被隨便地用來指任何用那種輕盈方式炸出來的東西， even things no Japanese cook would do that way就算是日本廚師根本不會那樣做的東西也一樣。