Meaning
杯 covers three related ideas: a cup or glass, a sake cup used in ceremony, and a counter word (助数詞, josūshi) for counting cupfuls of liquid. In sports and news, 杯 also refers to trophies and championship cups — the kind a winning team hoists overhead after a final match.
The character splits into two parts. 木 (wood/tree) on the left is the semantic radical. Cups were carved from wood in ancient East Asia, and 木 preserves that memory in the character's shape. 不 on the right is a phonetic component that contributes the on'yomi reading ハイ.
杯 is an N2 Jōyō kanji (常用漢字), written in 8 strokes. It doesn't appear in elementary school curricula, but turns up constantly in real life — restaurant menus, tournament brackets, and the ubiquitous toast 乾杯 (kanpai).
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is ハイ (hai). Compounds using this reading lean toward formal, ceremonial, or competitive settings — exactly the situations where cups and trophies appear.
- 乾杯 (kanpai) — cheers, a toast; 乾 means "dry," so the phrase literally means "drain the cup"
- 優勝杯 (yūshōhai) — championship trophy
- 献杯 (kenpai) — memorial toast offered in honor of the deceased; used at funerals and memorial services, never interchangeable with the celebratory 乾杯
- 毒杯 (dokuhai) — poisoned cup; appears in literary and historical writing
- 金杯 (kinpai) — golden cup; a prestigious trophy
- 銀杯 (ginpai) — silver cup; a ceremonial or prize cup
- 賞杯 (shōhai) — prize cup, trophy
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi is さかずき (sakazuki) — a small, flat sake cup used in traditional ceremonies. Wedding rituals (三三九度, san-san-kudo), formal banquets, and classical literature are where you'll encounter it. Note that さかずき can also be written 盃, an older variant (異体字, itaiji) of 杯 with the same meaning and reading.
- 杯 (sakazuki) — sake cup, especially a small ceremonial one
- 杯事 (sakazukigoto) — a formal sake-sharing ritual, such as the cup exchange at a wedding or initiation into a traditional organization
Common Words & Compounds
The following 杯 compounds are grouped by context to help you build connected vocabulary rather than isolated words.
Counting cups (counter usage):
- 一杯 (ippai) — one cup; also means "full" or "a lot" in casual speech (お腹がいっぱい = I'm stuffed)
- 二杯 (nihai) — two cups
- 三杯 (sanbai) — three cups
- 何杯 (nanbai) — how many cups?
Toasting and drinking culture:
- 乾杯 (kanpai) — cheers; said at dinners, parties, and celebrations across Japan
- 献杯 (kenpai) — memorial toast; solemn in register and never a substitute for 乾杯
Trophies and competitions:
- 優勝杯 (yūshōhai) — championship cup/trophy
- 賞杯 (shōhai) — prize cup
- 金杯 (kinpai) — golden cup award
- 銀杯 (ginpai) — silver cup award
Traditional and literary usage:
- 杯 (sakazuki) — sake cup (ceremonial)
- 毒杯 (dokuhai) — cup of poison; used metaphorically for a bitter, unavoidable fate
Example Sentences
乾杯！今日の成功を祝って。
Kanpai! Kyō no seikō wo iwatte.
Cheers! Let's celebrate today's success.
水を二杯飲んだ。
Mizu wo nihai nonda.
I drank two glasses of water.
彼女はコーヒーを一杯注文した。
Kanojo wa kōhī wo ippai chūmon shita.
She ordered one cup of coffee.
チームは優勝杯を手に入れた。
Chīmu wa yūshōhai wo te ni ireta.
The team got their hands on the championship trophy.
結婚式で杯を交わした。
Kekkonshiki de sakazuki wo kawashita.
They exchanged sake cups at the wedding ceremony.
もう一杯いかがですか。
Mō ippai ikaga desu ka.
Would you like another cup?
献杯の言葉を述べた後、全員が静かにグラスを傾けた。
Kenpai no kotoba wo nobeta ato, zen'in ga shizuka ni gurasu wo katamuketa.
After the memorial toast, everyone quietly tilted their glasses.
何杯のお茶を飲みましたか。
Nanbai no ocha wo nomimashita ka.
How many cups of tea did you drink?
金杯を授与された選手は涙を流した。
Kinpai wo juyosareta senshu wa namida wo nagashita.
The athlete awarded the golden cup broke into tears.
Memory Tip
Spot the 木 (wood) on the left. Ancient craftsmen hollowed out wood to make cups — 木 is your clue that 杯 is a vessel. Now picture raising that wooden cup and shouting 「乾杯！」. That single word locks in both the kanji and its most important compound.
One more trick: 一杯 (ippai) pulls double duty — it means "one cup" and "full/lots of." When your host asks 「もう一杯？」 and your stomach is already ippai, you've used both meanings in one breath.