How to Say Drunk in Japanese (and More Essential Drinking Vocab!)

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Drinking in Japan can be such a fun experience. There are many interesting bars, delicious drinks and good company to enjoy at any given time in this bustling country.

That being said, entertaining such activities can leave you feeling ‘drunk’! But how would you express that in Japanese? Would you even remember, in a drunk state? Who knows, but we can at least provide you with the information to express yourself! Whether you can or not after a couple of drinks is a different story…

The verb for ‘get drunk’ in Japanese is yopparau (酔っ払う / よっぱらう). The most common way to say ‘I’m drunk’ in Japanese is yopparatta (酔っ払った / よっぱらった). This is the past tense of the verb yopparau.

But just like how in English we have various terms to describe various stages of drunkenness, there are lots of different ways to say ‘I’m drunk’ in Japanese too!

Below are some handy drinking terms to know for your next boozy night out on the town.

Table Of Contents

Sirafu
Horoyoi
Yopparau
Yotta
Bero bero
Deisui
Yopparai
Aru chuu
Futsukayoi

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Sirafu

素面

Sober

A night of drinking starts with everyone being sirafu (素面 / しらふ). Sirafu is the Japanese term for ‘sober’.

You can, of course, have a fun night while being sober! However, if you do choose to indulge in some alcoholic beverages for the night, let’s look at some Japanese terms that may be useful in describing the progression of your evening!

Horoyoi

ほろ酔い

Tipsy

Young Japanese woman with glasses smiling, holding a glass of beer.

After your first or second drink, you may start feeling your cheeks get warm and rosy and you may possibly get a dose of the giggles as well! That’s right, at this point you are feeling ‘tipsy’. In Japanese, it is referred to as horoyoi (ほろ酔い / ほろよい).

If you have been to any convenience store in Japan, you may have seen the popular alcoholic canned beverages named horoyoi. They are low enough in alcohol, but come in many different delicious flavours.

Cans of Japanese beverages, including fruit-themed drinks, are displayed on store shelves with price tags. — Image: horoyoi by gonzo honma, shared under licence CC BY 2.0

So beware, drink too many of these and you will be sure to graduate from tipsy to drunk in no time!

Yopparau

酔っ払う

To get drunk

Yopparau (酔っ払う / よっぱらう) is a verb which translates as ‘to get drunk’.

So, if you want to say ‘I am drunk’, you must use the past tense of the verb, to express ‘I got drunk’.

The plain past tense of the verb is yopparatta (酔っ払った / よっぱらった) = ‘I’m drunk!’. This is the most common way to express drunkenness in Japanese.

Since we don’t always need to use pronouns in Japanese, you can use the same phrase for you/he/she/they is/are drunk.

Yotta

酔った

I’m drunk (slang)

Young people in Japan love to chop and change words as part of modern slang! If you find yopparatta is a bit of a mouthful (especially in an inebriated state), you can use the shortened version, yotta (酔った / よった).

Bero bero

べろべろ

Very drunk

Bero bero (べろべろ) is an onomatopoeic expression. With an Onomatopoeic word, the sound of the word should represent its meaning. Bero can actually mean ‘tongue’ or represent sticking out ones tongue.

The onomatopoeic phrase bero bero has two meanings. The first being the sound of licking, i.e. like a dog drinking from a bowl of water.

The other meaning of bero bero describes when you are so drunk that you can’t even string a sentence together anymore. This explains why the term stems from phrases used to refer to the tongue or licking, as when you are extremely drunk you end up being tongue tied!

Deisui

泥酔

Wasted

Person sitting at a bar with their head down on the counter, surrounded by several empty green bottles and a full beer mug.

Deisui (泥酔 / でいすい) is likely the final form of a drunk person on a night out. This noun describes someone who is out for the count due to being completely intoxicated.

This is the person who has their head down on the table, only perhaps raising their head from time to time to utter gibberish that no one can even understand.

Nomi sugiru (飲みすぎる / のみすぎる) means ‘to drink too much’ in Japanese.
Osake ni yowai (お酒に弱い / おさけによわい) is an expression which translates as ‘alcohol weak’ and is what we would refer to as a lightweight!

Either of these could be a reason for ending up completely deisui, or ‘wasted’.

Japanese warning poster on a train platform column warning about safety after drinking alcohol, depicting a man unsteadily approaching the edge. A train is arriving in the background. — The text on this poster in a Tokyo subway station says ‘on days when you’ve drunk too much, be careful!’ Can you spot the phrase nomi sugita / 飲みすぎた, the past form of *nomi sugiru*, mentioned above?

Yopparai

酔っ払い

Drunkard

Yopparai (酔っ払い / よっぱらい) refers to a ‘drunkard’ or ‘drunk person’ in Japanese.

Aru chuu

アル中

Alcoholic

Someone who is a yopparai a bit too often could end up as an aru chuu (アル中 / あるちゅう). Aru is short for arukooru, which is borrowed from the English term ‘alcohol’, while chuu is short for chuudoku meaning ‘addiction’.

While getting drunk can be a fun way to let loose, it’s important to drink responsibly and not end up an alcohol addiction.

Futsukayoi

二日酔い

Hangover

Another good reason to avoid excessive drinking is the dreaded ‘hangover’!

In Japanese, it is called futsukayoi (二日酔い / ふつかよい). It literally translates as ‘two days drunk’, but describes the second day spent suffering after the first day of heavy drinking.

Ready to hit the bars?

So know you know how to talk about the various stages of getting drunk in Japanese, from being sober to hungover! Just remember that the standard way to say drunk in Japanese is yopparatta (酔っ払った / よっぱらった) or the shorter form yotta (酔った / よった).

Here’s a recap of all your useful new vocabulary:

A text about Japanese drinking vocab, featuring "sirafu" and its meanings. Discover how this term relates to the concept of staying sober, even when two overflowing beer mugs beckon in the background.

Japanese drinking vocab comes alive with "horoyoi," meaning "tipsy," perfectly illustrated by two beer mugs clinking in the background.

Image showing a graphic with the Japanese word "yopparau," meaning "to get drunk," overlaid on two cartoon beer mugs. Text at the top reads "Japanese Drinking Vocab." Perfect for those eager to expand their drinking vocab in Japanese!

The text reads "yopparatta" with Japanese characters and "I'm drunk," set against a backdrop of beer mugs. The header, "Japanese Drinking Phrases," introduces essential drinking vocab for those eager to learn key Japanese drinking vocabulary.

Image with the phrase "yotta" in Japanese, meaning "I'm drunk," displayed over three beer mugs—perfect for expanding your drinking vocab. A link at the bottom invites you to "See full lesson at TeamJapanese.com.

An illustration features the Japanese phrase "bero bero," meaning "very drunk," with two beer mugs in the background, capturing a snapshot of drinking vocab in Japanese culture.

Japanese Drinking Vocab: Words like deisui (泥酔) meaning "wasted" come to life with two beer mugs clinking in the background. Banner at bottom says "See full lesson at TeamJapanese.com".

Text reads "Japanese Drinking Phrases" with "nomi sugiru" and its kanji, meaning "to drink too much," overlaid on two beer mugs. This clever visual is perfect for anyone interested in drinking vocab and exploring the nuances of Japanese culture.

Japanese drinking phrase: "osake ni yowai," describes someone who gets drunk quickly. This charming addition to your drinking vocab is perfectly illustrated with images of two clinking beer mugs. Cheers to knowing your limits!

Stylized text of "drunkard" in Japanese, enhanced with drinking vocab flair, and accompanied by two frothy beer mugs in the background.

Text reads "Japanese drinking phrases: aruchuu アル中 alcoholic" with illustrated beer mugs in the background, showcasing essential drinking vocab for those curious about what it means to be drunk in Japan.

Illustration of the Japanese drinking vocab term "futsukayoi," meaning "hangover," with two beer mugs in the background, highlighting the aftermath of being drunk.

Drinking in Japan is a great way to practise your Japanese, but please remember to drink responsibly!

If you want to learn more fun everyday Japanese before you hit the bars, our top recommended Japanese course is JapanesePod101. It’s free!