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酒精 (しゅせい) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

酒しゅ精せい

しゅ

せ

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

ethyl alcohol; spirits of wine

Technical term for ethyl alcohol, often used in chemistry, medicine, and industrial contexts. In everyday language, アルコール is more common.

酒しゅ精せいは消しょう毒どくに使つかわれる。
Ethyl alcohol is used for disinfection.
この溶よう液えきには酒しゅ精せいが含ふくまれている。
This solution contains ethyl alcohol.

Kanji

酒sake, alcohol
精refined, ghost, fairy

Similar words

アルコール
アルコール is the common word for alcohol in everyday contexts, while 酒精 is a technical term specifically for ethyl alcohol.
エタノール
エタノール is a direct loanword for ethanol, used interchangeably with 酒精 in scientific settings.

Etymology

Compound of 酒 (sake, alcohol) and 精 (essence, spirit), literally 'alcohol essence'. The term was coined in the Meiji period as a technical translation for ethyl alcohol.