🍶 Different types of drinkers in Japanese
Inspired by the 44th chapter of 極主夫道, I decided to look up how various types of drinkers are referred to in Japanese and was immediately overwhelmed by all the information. Behold the results of my prolonged rendezvous with Google-sensei.
下戸「げこ」 non-drinker, someone who can’t handle alcohol
The word 上戸 (alongside with 大戸・中戸・下戸) takes its roots in the Heian period when it referred to households with a lot of men (and therefore a lot of sake???), only counting those in good health and of taxable age.
Nowadays it’s mostly used to describe different types of drinking behaviors. You can put pretty much anything in front of 上戸 for that purpose.
泣き上戸「なき～」 maudlin drinker, prone to crying when drunk
笑い上戸「わらい～」 merry drinker, the one who laughs easily
怒り上戸「おこり～」 quarrelsome drinker prone to violence
喋り上戸 「 しゃべり～」 the one who gets talkative
甘え上戸「あまえ～」 the one who acts like a spoiled child
眠り上戸「ねむり～」 the one who falls asleep
歌い上戸「うたい～」 the one who starts singing
絡み上戸「からみ～」 the one who quarrels with random people
空上戸「そら～」 or 盗人上戸「ぬすびと～」or 泥棒上戸「 どろぼう～」the one who looks unaffected no matter how much they drink
機嫌上戸「きげん～」 the one who gets into a good mood
色上戸「いろ～」 or 赤み上戸「あかみ～」 the one whose face immediately turns red
三杯上戸「さんばい ～ 」 only can stomach up to 3 cups
脱ぎ上戸「ぬぎ～」 the one who starts undressing
エッチ上戸 the one who sexually harasses people
酒なんかほとんど飲まないんだけど、やっぱり、喋り上戸です。
I usually don’t drink but when I do I get very talkative.
Another way to describe drinking behaviors is with ～魔「ま」 demon. Though words of this kind could be used in a broader sense, describing a person’s general behavioral traits.
彼は、酒に酔ってしまうとキス魔になる。猫をキスしてみたこともある。
When he’s drunk he turns into a kissing demon. He once tried to kiss a cat.
キス魔「きすま」 the one who likes kissing a lot
説教魔「せっきょうま」 the one prone to lecturing and preaching
脱衣魔「だついま」 the one who starts undressing
抱きつき魔「だきつきま」 the one who clings to others
電話魔「でんわま」 the one who calls others
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