媒ばい酌しゃく人にん

ば

い

しゃ

く

に

ん

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

noun

matchmaker; go-between

Formal term for a person who arranges marriages or acts as an intermediary in formal introductions. Often used in traditional or ceremonial contexts. Compare with 仲人 (なこうど), which is more common in everyday language.

Kanji

媒mediator, go-between
酌bar-tending, serving sake, the host
人person
妁go-between

Related words

仲人なこうど
仲人 is the more common and general term for a matchmaker or go-between in both formal and informal settings. 媒酌人 is more formal and often associated with traditional arranged marriages.

Written forms

媒ばい酌しゃく人にん
Standard kanji spelling for a formal matchmaker or go-between, especially in arranged marriage contexts.
媒ばい妁しゃく人にん
Variant kanji form using 妁; less common than 媒酌人.

Etymology

Compound of 媒 (ばい, 'mediator') + 酌 (しゃく, 'to serve sake' or 'to attend to') + 人 (にん, 'person'). The term originally referred to a person who facilitated introductions and served sake at formal meetings, later specializing in marriage arrangements.