esem adjective English. Characteristic of s.t. that tastes sour. Example sentence: Subanen. Mesem gupia su pigbaal mu tapay. English. You made this fermented rice too sour. Generic. nanam; sapu noun English. A wild citrus having dry, sour fruit resembling lemons. Example sentence: Subanen. Kebalen maan dun su gesem, mingelee' na muka' ig dila'en, ndi' na dayun mekektalu'. English. Because of his eating some sour citrus, his tongue shrunk, then he couldn't talk.