焼酎

Japanese

Kanji in this term
焼	酎
しょう Grade: 4	ちゅう Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
燒酎 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) しょーちゅう [shòóchúꜜù] (Nakadaka – [3])
IPA^(key): [ɕo̞ːt͡ɕɨː]

Noun

焼(しょう)酎(ちゅう) • (shōchū) ^{←せうちう (seutiu)^?}

shochu:
1. distilled sake.
2. a Japanese alcoholic beverage, most commonly distilled from barley, sweet potato, or rice
Typically 25% alcohol by volume (ABV), making it weaker than whisky, but stronger than wine and sake. Higher-proof versions are also available, with ABV levels of 40-50%.

Derived terms

芋焼酎(いもじょうちゅう) (imo-jōchū): sweet potato shochu
米焼酎(こめじょうちゅう) (kome-jōchū): rice shochu
チューハイ (chūhai): shochu highball, though commonly now made with neutral grain spirits

See also

熱燗(あつかん) (atsukan)
冷酒(れいしゅ) (reishu)
泡盛(あわもり) (awamori, “Japanese rice whiskey”)
日本酒(にほんしゅ) (nihonshu, “Japanese rice wine”)
燗酒(かんざけ) (kanzake, “warmed sake”)
清酒(せいしゅ) (seishu, “Japanese rice wine (clear sake, not 濁(にご)り酒(ざけ) (nigorizake) or "cloudy" sake)”)
梅酒(うめしゅ) (umeshu, “apricot liquor”)

References

“焼酎”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025