🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Kunigami: Benoki, Okinawa)
さき【酒】 : saki | define meaning
saki
Pronunciation: [saki]
Definition
Noun
- Alcohol; sake
Etymology
Cognate with standard Japanese さけ【酒】 sake "alcohol, sake".
Historical Ryukyuan attestations
- Vocabulary of the language spoken at the Great Loo-Choo island in the Japan Sea (1818), by Herbert John Clifford, records "Drink, to, wine. Sack'kee noómoong" and "Drink, not to, wine. Sack'kee noómang".
- Narrative of a voyage to the Pacific and Beering's Strait, to co-operate with the Polar Expeditions (1831), by Frederick William Beechey, records "[...] and two sorts of spirits, sackee and mooroofacoo".
Notes
The pronunciation of sake as "saki" (sah-kee) in English is attributed to the influence of the Okinawan language and its regional dialects on the American presence in Okinawa, as well as the historical influence of Okinawans in Hawai'i.
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kanji | 酒 |
| Kana | さき |
| Romanization | saki |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [saki] |
意味：さけ【酒】
Categories:
酒
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2025, December 26). さき【酒】 : saki | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2026, January 15, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/1114/saki/.