Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
杯 (さかずき) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N1 Freq. Frequency Top 2,000 Meanings 1
noun
sake cup ; small cup for alcohol
Refers to a small cup used for drinking sake or other alcoholic beverages, often in traditional settings.
新しん
郎ろう
新しん
婦ぷ
が
さかずき
を
交か
わし
た
。
At the wedding, the bride and groom exchanged sake cups.
2
noun
ritual exchange of cups ; pledge cup exchange
Refers to the ceremonial act of exchanging sake cups to seal a bond, such as in weddings or yakuza rituals. Often used in the compound 杯事 (sakazukigoto).
See also: 杯事
Written forms 杯 Usage 31% i Usage for this spelling across all readings, not one reading alone.
盃 Usage 67% i Usage for this spelling across all readings, not one reading alone.
さかずき Usage 2%
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing.
坏
rarely-used kanji form
さかずき
Rarely used kanji form.
觴
rarely-used kanji form
さかずき
Rarely used kanji form.
盞
rarely-used kanji form
觚
rarely-used kanji form
さかずき
Rarely used kanji form.
巵
rarely-used kanji form
さかずき
Rarely used kanji form.
卮
rarely-used kanji form
さかずき
Rarely used kanji form.
うき
さかづき
Kanji 杯 counter for cupfuls, wine glass, glass Similar words コップ A general cup or glass for any beverage, not specifically for sake.
グラス A glass, typically for wine or cocktails, not a traditional sake cup.
おちょこ A small sake cup, often ceramic, used in casual drinking; more colloquial than さかずき.
Etymology The word さかずき is a compound of 酒 (sake, 'alcohol') and 杯 (tsuki, 'cup'), with the reading of 杯 shifted to ずき due to rendaku. The kanji 杯 is a pictograph of a cup, while 盃 is a variant often used in traditional contexts.
cup
巵 large winecup, apt, fitting 卮 large goblet, apt, fitting