New → The Four Types of Sake (薫爽醇熟): find your style
The Sake Lexicon
Sake, word by word.
Every term you’ll meet on a bottle, a menu, or a shop shelf — translated into plain English, for the curious drinker. Search it, or browse by theme.
純米
Junmai
“Pure rice.” Made from only rice, water, kōji, and yeast — no distilled alcohol added.
本醸造
Honjōzō
A small amount of distilled alcohol added; rice milled to 70% or less. Light and clean.
吟醸
Ginjō
Rice milled to 60% or less and fermented cold and slow, for fruity, floral aromatics.
大吟醸
Daiginjō
Rice milled to 50% or less — the most delicate, aromatic tier.
特別
Tokubetsu
“Special” junmai or honjōzō, made with extra milling or a distinctive method.
普通酒
Futsū-shu
“Ordinary sake”: everyday table sake that falls outside the premium grades.
酒造好適米
Shuzō-kōtekimai
Rice bred specifically for brewing, with a large starchy core — not the rice you eat.
心白
Shinpaku
The opaque, starchy heart of a sake-rice grain, ideal for growing kōji.
山田錦
Yamada Nishiki
The “king of sake rice” — elegant and aromatic, the benchmark for daiginjō.
五百万石
Gohyakumangoku
A widely grown sake rice giving crisp, clean, light sake.
雄町
Omachi
An heirloom rice giving earthy, full-bodied, complex sake.
精米歩合
Seimaibuai
Polishing ratio: the percentage of the grain left after milling. Lower = more polished.
麹
Kōji
Rice grown with kōji mold (Aspergillus oryzae) that converts starch into fermentable sugar.
宮水
Miyamizu
The famous hard, mineral water of Nada, prized for firm, dry, structured sake.
日本酒度
Nihonshu-do (SMV)
Sweet–dry gauge. Plus (+) leans dry, minus (−) leans sweet; a density reading, not the whole story.
酸度
Sando
Total acidity. Higher tastes fuller and more structured; lower tastes softer and cleaner.
アミノ酸度
Amino-sando
Amino-acid content: the higher it is, the more umami and richness in the glass.
アルコール分
Alcohol
Alcohol by volume — usually 15–16%, higher when undiluted (genshu).
吟醸香
Ginjō-ka
The signature fruity-floral aroma of ginjō and daiginjō — apple, pear, melon.
酒母 / 酛
Shubo / Moto
The yeast starter — a small, dense culture that kicks off the main fermentation.
生酛
Kimoto
A slow, traditional starter that builds natural lactic acid; rich, savory, and acidic.
山廃
Yamahai
A kimoto variant that skips the pole-mashing step but keeps the natural acids; bold and tangy.
速醸
Sokujō
The modern fast starter using added lactic acid — clean, stable, and the most common today.
並行複発酵
Heikō-fukuhakkō
“Multiple parallel fermentation”: starch→sugar and sugar→alcohol happen at once. Unique to sake.
三段仕込み
Sandan-jikomi
Building the main mash in three staged additions over four days, to keep fermentation healthy.
杜氏
Tōji
The master brewer who leads the whole production — sake’s winemaker.
蔵人
Kurabito
The brewery crew who work the season under the tōji.
上槽
Jōsō
Pressing: separating the finished sake from the rice lees (kasu).
あらばしり
Arabashiri
The first sake to run free before pressure is applied — vivid, fresh, sometimes lightly gassy.
中取り
Nakadori
The balanced middle of the pressing — the prized fraction, saved for the best bottles.
袋吊り
Fukurozuri / Shizuku
Drip-pressed from hanging bags under no pressure — the gentlest, top-tier method.
無濾過
Muroka
Not charcoal-filtered, so more of the original color, aroma, and flavor stays in.
火入れ
Hiire
Pasteurization (usually twice) to stabilize the sake for storage.
生酒
Namazake
Unpasteurized — fresh and lively, sometimes spritzy. Keep it cold, drink it young.
原酒
Genshu
Undiluted — no water added after pressing, so it’s fuller and stronger (~17–19%).
にごり
Nigori
Coarsely filtered so rice sediment stays in — cloudy, textured, often a touch sweeter.
おりがらみ
Origarami
Bottled with a little fine lees left in — faintly hazy, with extra texture and freshness.
古酒
Koshu
Aged sake — amber-hued and nutty, closer to sherry or tawny than to a fresh brew.
ひやおろし
Hiyaoroshi
Autumn release: pasteurized once, then rested over summer for a mellow, rounded sake.
新酒
Shinshu
The season’s freshly pressed new sake — bright and youthful.
熱燗
Atsukan
Hot sake (around 50°C) — warmth rounds out body and brings up umami.
冷酒
Reishu
Chilled sake — the cold sharpens aroma and crispness, flattering to ginjō.
お猪口
Ochoko
The small traditional sake cup, often paired with a tokkuri flask.
利き酒
Kikizake
Formal sake tasting — evaluating clarity, aroma, and flavor, wine-tasting style.
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