酒 means “alcohol, sake”

さけ · sake

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): さけ, さか-
On'yomi (Chinese reading): シュ

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 3 · 10 strokes

The story

Rice transformed into liquid gold: sake ceremonies bring people together in ritual and celebration.

The national drink of Japan: 日本酒 (nihonshu)

Where it comes from

Phonetic-Semantic (形声文字): Water/liquid radical + wine jar.

The right component 酉 was originally a pictograph of a wine jar used for fermentation. Add the water radical (氵) on the left, and you have the liquid that comes from that jar: alcohol. Sake, beer, wine: all 酒.

To remember it: Water (氵) poured into a fermentation jar (酉). That's how you make sake!

Its parts

氵 Water · Left side
酉 Wine jar · Right side

Water/liquid (氵) in a wine jar (酉): sake, alcohol

Kanji that look like 酒

酢 (vinegar): 酒 and 酢 share the 酉 radical; 酢 adds 乍 (making) for fermented vinegar

More from Food & Dining

Learn 酒 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji