Translation guide
How to express 'get drunk' in Japanese, covering the process of becoming intoxicated, being drunk, and related states.
To express the process of becoming drunk from alcohol.
The most common and general verb for 'get drunk'. It covers the entire process from starting to feel the effects to being fully intoxicated.
I drank too much yesterday and got really drunk.
He gets drunk easily.
A more emphatic or colloquial way to say 'get drunk', often implying a noticeable level of intoxication. Can be used as a verb or noun (酔っ払い - drunkard).
He gets drunk every night.
Literally 'get drunk on alcohol'. More specific than 酔う alone, emphasizing the substance.
I got drunk and blacked out.
A slangy, euphemistic way to say 'get drunk', literally meaning 'to be completed'. Often used in casual conversation.
I'm already completely drunk.
To describe the state of being intoxicated.
The standard way to say 'I am drunk' or 'he is drunk'. Uses the te-iru form of 酔う to indicate a state.
He is quite drunk.
Sorry, I'm a little drunk.
Emphatic state of being drunk, often with a negative or humorous connotation.
Means 'dead drunk' or 'blind drunk'. A more formal or literary term for extreme intoxication.
To express being carried away or intoxicated by a non-alcoholic atmosphere, such as a party or excitement.
To express becoming sick from motion, which uses the same verb 酔う.
In English, 'drunk' can be a noun (a drunk person). In Japanese, use 酔っ払い (よっぱらい) for a drunkard, but it can be derogatory. To describe someone who is drunk, use 酔っている人 (よっているひと).
Japanese has many nuanced terms for stages of intoxication: ほろ酔い (slightly tipsy), 酔っ払い (drunk), 泥酔 (dead drunk). Use 酔う for the general process.
That guy is totally drunk.
彼は泥酔して道で寝ていた。
He was dead drunk and sleeping on the street.
He is drunk on his success.