Meaning
The kanji 酒 means sake, alcohol, rice wine, or liquor. Sake has been brewed in Japan for over 2,000 years, and 酒 turns up everywhere — restaurant menus, izakaya signs, festival stalls, formal ceremonies, and seasonal rituals alike.
The kanji combines two components. On the left, 氵 (sanzui) is the three-stroke water radical, signaling liquid. On the right, 酉 (yū) is an ancient pictograph of a clay fermentation jar. Liquid plus vessel — the kanji essentially draws sake being made.
酒 has 10 strokes and appears on the Jōyō list, though it is not part of the elementary school curriculum. JLPT N3. Expect to encounter it on menus, shop fronts, and in news coverage of anything alcohol-related.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi is シュ (shu), borrowed from Middle Chinese. It appears mainly in formal written language — compound words, official documents, and set phrases around alcohol policy or brewing. In everyday spoken Japanese, さけ takes over.
- 日本酒 (nihonshu) — Japanese sake (rice wine)
- 飲酒 (inshu) — drinking alcohol
- 禁酒 (kinshu) — abstinence from alcohol, prohibition
- 酒類 (shurui) — alcoholic beverages (category)
- 美酒 (bishu) — fine wine, exquisite sake
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi readings are さけ (sake) and さか (saka). さけ is the everyday spoken form — used for alcohol in general and for Japanese rice wine specifically. さか is older and mostly survives in place
and trade-related compounds like 酒場 (bar) and 酒屋 (liquor store).
お酒 (osake) — alcohol, sake (polite form)
酒場 (sakaba) — bar, pub, drinking establishment
酒屋 (sakaya) — liquor store, sake shop
甘酒 (amazake) — sweet fermented rice drink
地酒 (jizake) — locally brewed sake, regional sake
Common Words & Compounds
酒 appears in compounds across beverage types, locations, and social contexts. Key groups:
Types of Alcoholic Beverages:
- 日本酒 (nihonshu) — Japanese rice wine (sake)
- 洋酒 (yōshu) — Western liquor (wine, whisky, etc.)
- 清酒 (seishu) — refined sake, clear/filtered sake
- 新酒 (shinshu) — new sake, freshly brewed sake
- 甘酒 (amazake) — sweet rice drink (low or no alcohol)
Places and Commerce:
- 酒場 (sakaba) — bar, drinking place, pub
- 酒屋 (sakaya) — liquor store, sake dealer
- 酒蔵 (sakagura) — sake brewery, sake storehouse
Actions and Social Context:
- 飲酒 (inshu) — drinking alcohol
- 禁酒 (kinshu) — abstaining from alcohol
- 酒宴 (shuen) — drinking banquet, feast with alcohol
- 酒席 (shuseki) — drinking party, banquet setting
- 酒造 (shuzō) — sake brewing, alcohol production
Descriptive / Polite Forms:
- お酒 (osake) — alcohol, sake (general polite term)
- 美酒 (bishu) — fine wine, delicious sake
- 地酒 (jizake) — regional sake, locally produced sake
Example Sentences
昨日、友達と居酒屋でお酒を飲みました。
Kinō, tomodachi to izakaya de osake wo nomimashita.
Yesterday, I drank alcohol at an izakaya with my friends.
この地方の地酒はとても有名です。
Kono chihō no jizake wa totemo yūmei desu.
The local sake from this region is well known.
彼は健康のために禁酒することにしました。
Kare wa kenkō no tame ni kinshu suru koto ni shimashita.
He decided to quit drinking for his health.
日本酒は米から作られるお酒です。
Nihonshu wa kome kara tsukurareru osake desu.
Nihonshu is a sake made from rice.
この酒蔵は江戸時代から続いています。
Kono sakagura wa Edo jidai kara tsuzuite imasu.
This sake brewery has been operating since the Edo period.
未成年は飲酒が禁止されています。
Miseinen wa inshu ga kinshi sarete imasu.
Drinking alcohol is prohibited for minors.
お祝いの席で美酒を酌み交わした。
Oiwai no seki de bishu wo kumikawashita.
We exchanged cups of fine sake at the celebration.
酒場の前に赤いちょうちんが飾られている。
Sakaba no mae ni akai chōchin ga kazararete iru.
Red paper lanterns hang in front of the bar.
冬になると、温かい甘酒が飲みたくなります。
Fuyu ni naru to, atatakai amazake ga nomitaku narimasu.
When winter comes, I crave a warm cup of amazake.
Memory Tip
Picture three water droplets (氵) dripping from a rounded clay jar (酉) — liquid spilling out of a traditional sake vessel. Whenever you spot those water drops beside that jar shape, the jar is full of sake.
Vietnamese learners have a built-in hook: the Hán-Việt reading TỬU shares the same Chinese root, tying Japanese 酒 directly to the Vietnamese word for alcohol.