Japanese symbol for “sake”
酒
さけ
Romaji: sake
alcohol; sake
In Japanese, sake is 酒, read さけ (sake).
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 alcohol; sake
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sake”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 為 | ため tame | sake; purpose; objective |
| 日本酒 | にほんしゅ nihonshu | sake (rice wine); saké |
| 般若湯 | はんにゃとう hannyatou | sake; alcohol; liquor |
| 正宗 | まさむね masamune | sake; Japanese rice wine; brand of sake from Nada region during Tenpō era (1830-1844) |
| 御酒 | ごしゅ goshu | alcohol; sake |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 居酒屋 | いざかや izakaya | izakaya; tavern, bar, etc. that also serves various dishes and snacks |
| 酒屋 | さかや sakaya | liquor store; wine shop; bottle shop |
| 飲酒 | いんしゅ inshu | drinking alcohol |
| 禁酒 | きんしゅ kinshu | abstinence from alcohol; temperance |
| 酒場 | さかば sakaba | bar; pub; tavern |
| 梅酒 | うめしゅ umeshu | ume liqueur; Japanese plum brandy; unripe ume infused in liquor (esp. shōchū) with added sugar |
See also: Chinese symbol for “sake”.
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.