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お屠蘇 (おとそ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

お屠と蘇そ

お

と

そ

Meanings

1

noun

New Year's spiced sake

A traditional sweetened sake infused with herbs and spices, drunk during the New Year's celebration to ward off evil spirits and promote health.

元がん旦たんに家か族ぞくでお屠と蘇そをいただきます。
On New Year's Day, we drink spiced sake with the family.

Kanji

屠slaughter, butcher, slay
蘇be resuscitated, revived, perilla

Similar words

屠と蘇そ
Same meaning but without the honorific prefix お; less common in modern speech.
日本にほん酒しゅ
General term for Japanese sake; お屠蘇 is a specific spiced variety drunk at New Year's.

Etymology

From 屠蘇 (toso), a medicinal spiced sake originally from China, with the honorific prefix お added. The exact origin of the word 屠蘇 is uncertain, but it is traditionally associated with warding off evil and promoting longevity.