上戸
じょ
う
ご
Meanings
1
heavy drinker; person who can hold their liquor
Refers to someone who drinks a lot or can drink a lot. Often contrasted with 下戸 (a non-drinker or someone who cannot drink much).
See also: 下戸
He's quite a heavy drinker and drinks almost every night.
2
... drinker; ... drunk
Suffix attached to words describing a person's drinking habits or behavior when drunk, e.g. 笑い上戸 (a merry drunk who laughs a lot), 泣き上戸 (a maudlin drunk).
He's a merry drinker and laughs all the time when he drinks.
3
liker of; fan; enthusiast; -phile
Ryuukyuu dialect suffix meaning a lover or enthusiast of something, e.g. 泡盛上戸 (awamori lover). Not standard Japanese.
See also: ジョーグー
In Okinawa, they say 'awamori-jōgo' to mean an awamori lover.
Expressions
- 大食上戸餅食らいeating a lot, drinking a lot, and on top of that, eating mochi
- 上戸は毒を知らず下戸は薬を知らずdrinkers harm themselves by drinking too much, nondrinkers miss out on alcohol's medicinal benefits