白酒

Chinese

Pronunciation

Noun

白酒

1. baijiu (distilled liquor)

   公認口感好的白酒 [MSC, trad.]
   公认口感好的白酒 [MSC, simp.]

   gōngrèn kǒugǎn hǎo de báijiǔ

   widely enjoyed baijiu

2. white wine
3. (Zhangzhou Hokkien) jiuniang

Usage notes

To distinguish baijiu from white wine, white wine can be called 白葡萄酒 (báipútáojiǔ).

Synonyms

• (baijiu):

• (white wine): 白葡萄酒 (báipútáojiǔ)

Hypernyms

• 酒 (jiǔ)

Hyponyms

• 高粱 (gāoliáng)

Descendants

• → English: baijiu

See also

• 黃酒／黄酒 (huángjiǔ)
• 葡萄酒 (pútáojiǔ)
• 啤酒 (píjiǔ)

Japanese

Etymology 1

Compound of 白 (shiro, “white”) +‎ 酒 (sake, “liquor”). The sake reading for 酒 changes to zake as an instance of rendaku (連濁)..

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

白(しろ)酒(ざけ) • (shirozake) 

1. a white, unfiltered, sweet, and sometimes thick porridge-like fermented liquor made from rice; traditionally served at 雛祭り (Hina matsuri) and other festivals
2. alternate name for 濁酒 (doburoku), 濁り酒 (nigorizake): white unfiltered and sweet sake

Synonyms

• (thick sake served at festivals): 山川酒(やまがわざけ) (yamagawazake)
• (unfiltered sake): 濁酒(じょくしゅく) (jokushuku), 濁酒(だくしゅ) (dakushu), 濁酒(どぶろく) (doburoku)
• (unfiltered sake): 濁(にご)り酒(ざけ) (nigorizake)

Etymology 2

Compound of 白 (shiro, “white”) +‎ 酒 (ki, “liquor”). The ki reading for 酒 is archaic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

白(しろ)酒(き) • (shiroki) 

1. white fermented liquor made from rice, used as an offering at Shinto rituals

   Fermented from specially selected rice, with half used as shiroki and half mixed with incense ash and used as kuroki (黒酒). Used in particular at the 大嘗祭 (daijōsai) and 新嘗祭 (nīnamesai) rituals held in late November, wherein the emperor would beseech the gods for a good harvest in the year to come.

See also

• 黒酒(くろき) (kuroki): black liquor
• 大嘗祭(だいじょうさい) (daijōsai), 新嘗祭(にいなめさい) (nīnamesai): Shinto rituals wherein the emperor prays for a good harvest in the year to come

Etymology 3

Compound of 白 (shiro, “white”) +‎ 酒 (sasa, “liquor”). The sasa reading for 酒 is a 女(にょう)房(ぼう)詞(ことば) (nyōbō kotoba), a term only used by women.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

白(しろ)酒(ささ) • (shirosasa) 

1. (nyōbō kotoba) Synonym of 白酒 (shirozake)

Etymology 4

From Middle Chinese 白酒 (MC baek tsjuwX).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

白(はく)酒(しゅ) • (hakushu) ^{←はくしゆ (fakusyu)?}

1. generic term for nigorizake, doburoku, shirozake

Usage notes

This reading using the on'yomi is considered slightly more formal, rather like how words in English that have Latin or Greek roots are considered slightly more formal than synonyms that have Anglo-Saxon roots.

See also

• 濁(にご)り酒(ざけ) (nigorizake)
• 濁酒(どぶろく) (doburoku)

Etymology 5

From modern Mandarin 白酒 (báijiǔ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Noun

白酒(ぱいちゅう) or 白酒(パイチュー) • (paichū) 

1. Chinese distilled liquor

Usage notes

This reading is more often spelled in katakana as パイチュー to differentiate from the default hakushu on'yomi for these characters.