みりんは海外のスーパーなどでも時々見かけ、ボトルには "Mirin" と書かれています。
ですが知名度は低いので、みりんが何なのかを知らない方のほうが多いと思います。
私は、みりんのことをsweet sakeと言いますが、sweet cooking wine と言う方もいるようです。
Mirin is a kind of cooking sake(wine) which is commonly used in Japanese cooking and it's sweet.
「みりんは、[日本食](https://eikaiwa.dmm.com/uknow/questions/43714/)でよく使われる[料理酒](https://eikaiwa.dmm.com/uknow/questions/71817/)の一種で、甘いです。」
と説明することもできると思います。
Mirin is often confused with sake due to its similarities in taste and appearance. Like sake, mirin is made from rice and it can be consumed as an alcoholic beverage.
Although there are many varieties of mirin, today it is most often used as a staple condiment or seasoning in Japanese households. Mirin boasts added sweetness and a slightly lower alcohol content when compared to sake. Most westerners would consider white cooking wine as a popular alternative to mirin.
When introducing mirin to a friend, you could say that it gives Teriyaki its sweet and tangy flavour.
It's wine, it's sweet, it's made of rice, it's used for cooking, It has to be sweet, rice, wine - for cooking!
It's wine, it's sweet, it's made of rice, it's used for cooking, It has to be sweet, rice, wine - for cooking!
（ワインで、甘くて、お米で出来ていて、料理に使われます。甘くて、米で、ワイン、料理に使われます！）
Mirin and sake have similar components but sake has a lower alcohol percentage and with more sugar. People also drink it as an alcoholic beverage. But it can also be used to make other sauces like eel sauce. It makes a dish quite acid making it a bit sweeter. Sugar and white wine combined together can make a good substitute for mirin and would help your friend understand it more if they don't know what mirin is.
Hope this helps!
Mirin is a Japanese sauce similar to rice wine vinegar.
Mirin is similar to rice wine vinegar. So you can explain to the person what it's used for. You can also explain that it is lower in alcohol content but has more sugar.
E.g. "Mirin is a Japanese sauce/condiment that is similar to rice wine vinegar.
"Mirin"（みりん）は"rice wine vinegar"（米酢）と似ていますね。
ですので、何に使かわれるのかを説明することが出来ます。
また、少量のアルコールが含まれている事と多く砂糖を含んでいることも説明することが出来ます。
【例】
"Mirin is a Japanese sauce/condiment that is similar to rice wine vinegar."
（みりんは日本の調味料で、米酢と似ています）
日本 
カナダ 
イギリス 
南アフリカ 
