8. Kanji

Question 1

日 本 酒

Answer 1

Nihon shu

Question 2

清 酒

Answer 2

Sei-shu

Question 3

純 米

Answer 3

Junmai

Question 4

吟 醸

Answer 4

Ginjō

Question 5

大 吟 醸

Answer 5

Daiginjō

Question 6

本 醸 造

Answer 6

Honjōzō

Question 7

Which kanji is pronounced shu or sake?

Answer 7

酒

Question 8

What is the meaning of the kanji 日

Answer 8

sun

Question 9

What is the meaning of the kanji 酒

Answer 9

Alcoholic beverage

Question 10

純 米

Answer 10

Junmai : ‘pure’-‘rice’. The junmai category of sake is made without the addition of any high-strength distilled alcohol. Junmai can appear on its own or in combination to create junmai ginjō, or junmai daiginjō, depending on the style and production methods.

Question 11

純米酒

Answer 11

Junmai-shu : ‘pure’-‘rice’-‘alcoholic beverage’

Question 12

Which is kanji terms means ‘refined sake’?

Answer 12

清 (sei = refined) 酒 (shu = alcoholic beverage) is pronounced sei-shu and means ‘refined sake’.

Question 13

醸

Answer 13

This symbol is pronounced jō. On its own, it means ‘ferment’ or ‘brew’

Question 14

吟

Answer 14

This symbol is pronounced gin (with a ‘hard g’, like in garden, rather than ginger). In this context it is using the meaning ‘examine’ or ‘scrutinise’.

Question 15

吟醸

Answer 15

Ginjō : It means ‘scrutinise(d)’ or ‘ferment’.
Sake made from highly polished rice, and fermented with great care, very slowly at low temperatures, to produce beautiful floral and fruity aromas.

Question 16

大

Answer 16

This symbol is pronounced dai. On its own, it means ‘big’, ‘large’ or ‘great’. You can think of it as a person standing up, legs parted, with their arms stretched as far as they will go, trying to show how big something is.

Question 17

大吟醸

Answer 17

Daiginjō : It means ‘great(ly)’ or ‘scrutinise(d)’-‘ferment’. Daiginjō is really just ‘big’ ginjō. A kind of ginjō sake, but with everything from the rice polishing to the meticulous care taken and the slow controlled progress of fermentation pushed to the maximum.

Question 18

本 醸 造

Answer 18

Honjōzō
Original-fermentation-production. Honjōzō can be thought of as the original style of good sake, before ginjō styles became widely available. They use distilled alcohol at the pressing stage, but this process has a very long tradition. The rice is milled well, but not (usually) to the exceptionally fine level used for ginjō . Not is there anything especially modern about the fermentation -in contrast to ginjō .

Original-fermentation-production, or the original way of fermenting and producing sake. Sake like it used to be!