Refers to a person who drinks alcohol, often heavily or habitually. Can be used neutrally or with a slightly negative connotation depending on context.
He's a heavy drinker and drinks almost every night.
My father is a drinker, so there's always beer in the fridge.
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency news ranking.
Variant using 呑 (drink); less common but still seen.
Abbreviated form; rare and mostly found in older or stylized contexts.
Compound of 酒 (sake, alcohol) and 飲み (drinking), the continuative form of 飲む (to drink). Literally 'alcohol drinking', used as a noun for a person who drinks.