酒
sake, alcohol
Readings
On'yomi
- シュ
Kun'yomi
- さけ
- さか-
Nanori
- き
- さ
- し
Meaning
酒 centers on alcoholic beverages, especially sake, the traditional Japanese rice wine. It broadly covers alcohol in general.
Most common words using 酒
20 of 294- 酒さけN4
alcohol; sake
- 居酒屋いざかやN3
izakaya; tavern, bar, etc. that also serves various dishes and snacks
- 飲酒いんしゅN3
drinking alcohol
- 酒場さかばN2
bar; pub; tavern
- 酒造しゅぞう
brewing (sake); distilling (e.g. whisky)
- 梅酒うめしゅ
ume liqueur; Japanese plum brandy; unripe ume infused in liquor (esp. shōchū) with added sugar
- 禁酒きんしゅN1
abstinence from alcohol; temperance
- 酒屋さかやN1
liquor store; wine shop; bottle shop
- 酒飲みさけのみ
(heavy) drinker; drunkard; tippler; boozer
- 甘酒あまざけ
sweet half sake; sweet drink made from fermented rice
- 酒類しゅるい
alcoholic drinks; liquor
- 酒蔵さかぐら
sake brewery
- 神酒しんしゅ
sacred wine; sacred sake; sake offered to the gods
- 地酒じざけ
local sake
- 清酒せいしゅ
refined sake
- 酒好きさけずき
love of drink; fondness for alcohol; person who likes to drink; drinker
- 原酒げんしゅ
refined sake not diluted in water; undiluted sake; unblended whisky (whiskey)
- 酒かすさけかす
sake lees
- 洋酒ようしゅN1
Western wine and spirits; Western liquor
- 酒気しゅき
liquor smell
Study
Etymology
酒 combines 氵 (water/liquid) with 酉, a pictograph of a wine jar, to represent an alcoholic liquid. The modern form preserves this clear component relationship.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 氵 is liquid, and the right side 酉 looks like a sake jar with a lid. Picture pouring liquid from the jar: it's alcohol.
Reading mnemonic
For シュ, imagine a shoe-shaped sake cup: shoe -> シュ, and you sip sake from it.