Enjoy your drinks even more with our ‘Izakaya slang’ ABCs
Where there are people, there is alcohol. Where there is alcohol, there are drinkers. Where there are drinkers, there are bars. And while there are all sorts of bars, one type particularly beloved far and wide is the Izakaya.
Of course, no matter where you go, you also have alcohol-related jargon and slang. That’s why we’ve made this ‘Izakaya Japanese Slang ABC’ guide to help you enjoy your Izakaya drinking even more.
Aka-chouchin: The red lanterns hung outside an Izakaya to identify them.
Bero Bero: One of several onomatopoeic phrases used to describe being wasted. Others include ‘Hero Hero’, ‘Guden Guden’ and ‘Gero Gero’.
Chuu-hai: Shochu mixed with a fizzy drink. Very popular. Easy to drink, due to their sweetness and low alcohol content.
Dei-sui: Dei means mud. Sui means to be drunk. Literally ‘drunk as mud’. The same as being Bero Bero.
En-kai: A gathering (particularly a large one) where you talk excitedly, laugh and have a good time while eating and drinking.
Fura Fura: Not quite Bero Bero, but pretty far gone. Refers to someone’s unsteady walking.
Gou-kon: Short for ‘Goudou Compa’. Goudou means ‘a group’. Compa means company (as in time spent together). Mashed together and shortened, you get Goukon. Describes a gathering, generally of uni students, who meet to find a partner.
Hashigo-zake: Pub crawl.
Ikki Nomi: To down a drink in one go.
Jouren San: A regular client. Can be a good thing, can be a bad thing…
Kanpai: ‘Cheers!’ Originally means to down in one go (see Ikki Nomi).
Mou Ippai: Mou means More, conveniently. Ippai means one glass. Often used by those who have rapidly drained their beer and want another.
Nonbeh: Someone who drinks large quantities frequently.
Otoushi: The small plate of food that accompanies your first glass of sake.
Ponshu: Another word for Nihonshu (itself another word for sake). Mostly used by young people. Roretsu Ga Mawaranai: So drunk you have no idea what you’re saying.
Shime: The last meal of a night out. Carbo-heavy meals like Ramen are common.
Toriaezu Bi-ru: “Before anything else, beer”. The first phrase used when you’ve sat down at an Izakaya and someone comes to take your order.
Uwabami: Originally meant big snake. However, as snakes tend to swallow anything, now means someone who drinks a lot.
VSOP: Normally a grade of brandy, but due to its expensive nature, now refers to any high-priced product.
Wari-kan: A split bill.
Yopparai: The most frequently used word for ‘pissed’.
Zen Zen Dame: ‘Absolutely useless’. Used when chiding your conversation partner for something they’ve done.