also: しらゆ · はくとう
plain hot water; boiled water
Refers to hot water without tea, coffee, or other additives; often served as a drink or used for warming sake.
When you have a cold, it's good to drink plain hot water.
I make it a habit to drink a cup of plain hot water first thing in the morning.
Standard kanji spelling for plain hot water, read さゆ.
Alternate reading of the same kanji; less common than さゆ.
Sino-Japanese reading; mainly used in formal or technical contexts.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling sometimes seen in informal writing.
Uncommon variant using 素; rarely encountered.
白 (white/pure) + 湯 (hot water). The reading さゆ is a native Japanese reading (kun'yomi) of the kanji, while はくとう is the Sino-Japanese reading. The exact origin of さゆ is uncertain, but it has been used historically to refer to plain hot water.