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Kotomora

醪

unrefined sake or shoyu

Strokes18

Readings

On'yomi

  • ロウ

Kun'yomi

  • もろみ
  • にごりざけ

Meaning

醪 centers on a cloudy, unrefined fermented liquid: the thick mash stage of sake or soy sauce before pressing and filtering.

Study

Etymology

醪 combines 酉 (sake jar, fermentation vessel) with 翏, which likely contributes the sound and may suggest a thick, cloudy quality. The character refers to unrefined sake or soy sauce mash.

Meaning mnemonic

The sake jar 酉 on the left holds a cloudy, unstrained brew. The right side 翏 looks like feathers floating in liquid, like the solids suspended in unrefined sake mash.

Reading mnemonic

For ロウ, imagine a row of jars filled with thick, unrefined sake: row -> ロウ, and each jar is full of cloudy mash.