noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
slight intoxication; tipsiness; mellowness
Describes a pleasant, mild drunkenness where one feels relaxed and cheerful but not heavily drunk. Often used in the phrase ほろ酔い気分.
I got tipsy after just one beer.
I like taking a walk while feeling pleasantly tipsy.
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling; widely used and easily understood.
Rarely used kanji form; Learners should prefer ほろ酔い.
ほろ酔い is a compound of the mimetic prefix ほろ (suggesting a light, gentle state) and 酔い (drunkenness). The exact origin of ほろ is uncertain, but it appears in other words like ほろ苦い (bittersweet) to indicate a mild degree.