Nihonshu
/ˌniː.hɒnˈʃuː/noun
A Japanese alcoholic beverage brewed by fermenting polished rice, water, yeast, and koji mold.
Did you know?Koji mold, essential to nihonshu brewing, has long been associated with Japanese foodways and was historically cultivated by specialized brewers called tōji.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Old Chinese
日
“Sun; day—the Chinese character later used in the name for Japan.”
Ancient China
Old Chinese
本
“Root, base, or origin; paired with 日 to form the name meaning “origin of the sun.””
Ancient Japan
Japanese
日本 (Nihon/Nippon)
“Japan; literally “origin of the sun,” a name associated with Japan’s position east of China.”
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
酒 (tśǝ́w)
“Alcoholic drink or wine; this character was borrowed into Japanese with the reading shu.”
Medieval Japanese
Japanese
日本酒 (nihonshu)
“Japanese alcohol; a term distinguishing Japan’s traditional brewed rice liquor from other alcoholic drinks.”
Modern English
English
nihonshu
“An English loanword for Japanese rice wine, often used to distinguish the beverage technically called sake from other Japanese alcohols.”