Japanese symbol for “moonshine”

密造酒

みつぞうしゅ

Romaji: mitsuzoushu

illicitly brewed liquor; moonshine

In Japanese, moonshine is 密造酒, read みつぞうしゅ (mitsuzoushu).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

n illicitly brewed liquor; moonshine

Kanji and stroke order

密

secrecy, density (pop), minuteness

on: ミツ
kun: ひそ.か

11 strokes · JLPT 1

造

create, make, structure

on: ゾウ
kun: つく.る、つく.り、-づく.り

10 strokes · JLPT 2

酒

sake, alcohol

on: シュ
kun: さけ、さか-

10 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
秘密	ひみつ himitsu	secret; secrecy; confidentiality
密度	みつど mitsudo	density
精密	せいみつ seimitsu	precise; exact; detailed
密接	みっせつ missetsu	close (relationship, connection, etc.); intimate; near
密輸	みつゆ mitsuyu	smuggling; contraband trade
親密	しんみつ shinmitsu	intimacy; friendship
構造	こうぞう kouzou	structure; construction; makeup
製造	せいぞう seizou	manufacture; production
居酒屋	いざかや izakaya	izakaya; tavern, bar, etc. that also serves various dishes and snacks

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.