さけ
sakehiragana
In hiragana, "sake" is さけ (sake). In Japanese the word means alcohol in general, and the rice drink abroad called sake is にほんしゅ (nihonshu). It is also called おさけ (osake).
Meaning: alcohol, rice wine (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| さけ | sake | hiragana |
| おさけ | osake | hiragana, polite |
| にほんしゅ | nihonshu | hiragana, rice wine |
Politely it is おさけ (osake). On menus 酒 is the kanji.
Which one should you use?
If you ask for おさけ in Japan, you may be asked which drink you mean. にほんしゅ names the rice drink exactly.
How do you pronounce it?
Say it with two clear syllables, "sah-keh", not "sah-key".
Did you know?
- The Japanese word さけ also appears in 鮭 (sake), which is the same sound for salmon.
Examples in context
- おさけをのみますか。Osake o nomimasu ka?Do you drink alcohol?
- にほんしゅをください。Nihonshu o kudasai.Sake, please.
- さけはすきですか。Sake wa suki desu ka?Do you like sake?
Example conversation
A customer and a staff member at a small izakaya in Osaka.
- Customerすみません、にほんしゅをください。Sumimasen, nihonshu o kudasai.Excuse me, sake, please.
- Staffつめたいのとあつかんがありますが。Tsumetai no to atsukan ga arimasu ga.We have cold sake and warm sake.
- Customerつめたいのをおねがいします。Tsumetai no o onegai shimasu.Cold, please.
- Staffかしこまりました。Kashikomarimashita.Certainly.
