spirits お酒 osake
Meet Japan’s traditional lineup of liquid courage – perfect for when you need help with those “fluent” Japanese skills:
- 日本酒 nihonshu (sake, a rice wine, actually brewed like beer)
- 焼酎 shōchū (distilled spirit, usually from sweet potato/rice)
- 梅酒 umeshu (sweet plum wine, dessert in a glass)
- 泡盛 awamori (Okinawan rice spirit, sake’s rowdy cousin)
See also sake; shōchū; whisky. For drinking etiquette and other drinks, see drinks.