snake, serpent, hard drinker
蛇 centers on a snake or serpent. The 'hard drinker' sense is a figurative extension, likening someone who drinks heavily to a snake swallowing prey.
蛇 combines 虫 (insect/reptile) with 它, which originally depicted a snake and likely contributes both sound and meaning. The modern form retains the snake-related component structure.
The left side 虫 suggests a creeping creature, and the right side 它 looks like a coiled snake with a raised head. Together they form 蛇, a snake.
For ジャ, imagine a snake hissing 'ja!' as it strikes. The sharp 'ja' sound cues ジャ while the snake lunges forward.
snake
faucet; tap
big snake; (large) serpent
redundancy; superfluity; useless addition
meandering; snaking; zigzagging
giant snake; monster serpent
long snake
venomous snake; poisonous snake
albino Japanese rat snake
bellows (of an accordion, camera, etc.)
sea snake
bull's-eye (pattern); double ring (pattern)
python; rock snake
eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent (in Japanese mythology)
rattlesnake
snakes and scorpions
unnecessary trouble brought upon oneself; stirring up a hornet's nest
asp viper (Vipera aspis)
king snake (any snake of genus Lampropeltis)
cerastes; horned viper; horned adder