酒

A phono-semantic compound:

水 (“water”) — semantic element, indicating liquid.

酉 (yu / jiǔ) — phonetic element, but also originally a pictograph of a wine jar.

Originally, 酉 itself meant a vessel for fermenting liquor. Later, with 水 added, the character 酒 came to denote alcoholic beverages in general.

Radical note: Though 酒 has the 氵 (water radical) on the left, its radical in dictionaries is actually 酉. Many dictionaries also cross-list it under 氵 for convenience.

麥酒 (맥주) — beer (lit. “barley wine”)

燒酒 (소주) — soju, distilled liquor

藥酒 (약주) — medicinal liquor

洋酒 (양주) — Western liquor (imported spirits)

飮酒 (음주) — drinking alcohol

酒店 (주점) — tavern, inn, bar

酒舖 (주포) — liquor store

濁酒 (탁주) — unrefined rice wine (cloudy liquor)

In classical usage, 酒 included all fermented drinks made from grains (millet, rice, barley).

By extension, 酒 can mean banquet, feast (e.g., 酒席 “banquet feast”).

In East Asian culture, 酒 was central to ritual offerings (祭祀), social gatherings, and poetry.

In modern Chinese, 酒 refers broadly to any alcoholic drink, not only wine.

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