Translation guide
Describes someone who drinks alcohol frequently or in large amounts. Japanese has many colorful expressions ranging from neutral to slang, often using metaphors like 'big drinker' or 'alcohol lover'.
Neutral or slightly formal way to say someone drinks a lot.
Literally 'big sake drinker'. A common, straightforward term for a heavy drinker.
彼は大酒飲みだ。
He is a heavy drinker.
Literally 'alcohol hero'. Praises someone's strong drinking capacity, often used admiringly.
彼女は酒豪で知られている。
She is known as a heavy drinker.
Colloquial term for a drinker, often affectionate. Can imply habitual drinking.
うちの父は飲んべえで、毎晩晩酌を欠かさない。
My dad is a heavy drinker and never misses his evening drink.
Literally 'alcohol lover'. Emphasizes the fondness for drinking rather than sheer quantity.
彼は酒好きで、週末はいつも飲み歩いている。
He's a heavy drinker and always goes bar-hopping on weekends.
Informal, often humorous ways to describe a heavy drinker.
Literally 'giant snake' or 'python'. Vivid slang for someone who can drink enormous amounts, like a snake swallowing prey whole.
あいつはうわばみだ。一晩で一升瓶を空ける。
That guy's a heavy drinker. He empties a whole 1.8-liter bottle in one night.
Refers to someone who becomes violent or troublesome when drunk. Implies heavy drinking with bad behavior.
Only use if the person causes trouble when drunk; not a general term for heavy drinker.
Literally 'bamboo strainer'. Slang for someone who can drink endlessly without getting drunk, as if alcohol passes right through them.
Phrases to describe someone's drinking behavior rather than labeling them directly.
Literally 'strong to alcohol'. Describes someone with high alcohol tolerance, often implying they drink a lot.
彼は酒に強い。
He can hold his liquor.
Literally 'alcohol quantity is large'. A more formal way to say someone drinks a lot.
彼は酒量が多いので、健康が心配だ。
He drinks a lot, so I'm worried about his health.
Literally 'drink as if bathing in it'. Vivid expression for drinking heavily.
彼は毎晩浴びるように飲んでいる。
He drinks like a fish every night.
大酒飲み is the most neutral and widely understood. 酒豪 has a positive, admiring nuance (a 'heroic drinker'). 飲んべえ is casual and often affectionate, but can sound old-fashioned or dialectal.
Direct translations like '重い飲み手' do not exist in Japanese. Use the terms above instead.
彼は酒乱だから、一緒に飲むのは危険だ。
He's a violent drunk, so it's dangerous to drink with him.
He's a heavy drinker who never gets drunk, no matter how much he drinks.